Mr Darcy Comes to Neptune
by steenbeans
Summary: P&P, baby: Pride and Prejudice! A modern re-telling of a classic, set in Neptune, CA. Veronica Mars will be playing the role of Elizabeth Bennet. And Mr. Darcy? Why, Logan Echolls, of course. LoVe. Very AU. Crossover.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I know I probably need my head examined for starting another multi-chapter story right now, but I just can't help myself. I got this idea about 2 weeks ago, and I've been playing around with it ever since.**

**For this one, I'm opting for short chapters so I can (hopefully) get them posted weekly. I'm also writing this in third-person omniscient POV, which I never EVER do. But I like a challenge, and it's sort of fun playing god. Muahahaha! ;)**

**I'm trying to make this accessible to people who haven't read the book (or seen one of the movies), but it'll probably be more enjoyable if you're familiar with the story. I can't tell you how much fun it is for me to combine one of my favorite books with one of my favorite shows. Hope you enjoy :)**

Chapter 1

Everyone knew the Mars sisters. There were five of them, all between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, and they were all beautiful. While it was well known that the family was in some financial difficulty, they were still universally considered to be part of Neptune's elite. Their mother came from the wealthy and well-respected Reynolds family, whose ancestors dated back to the very founding of the town. This, combined with the fact that their house was located in the finest part of the prestigious 90909 zip code, had secured their place in Neptune's high society since birth.

But people did love to talk. They whispered about how Lianne Mars had squandered away the family fortune. There were rumors that she'd charged over $50,000 in a single day, on a shopping spree with her girls; that she'd chartered a private jet to take her to L.A. for a luncheon one afternoon, so that she didn't have to sit in traffic. Most of all, there were rumors about the thousands a week she reportedly spent on a specific type of rare French vodka. Everyone knew how much the woman liked her alcohol.

Her husband, Keith, had been Sheriff for almost twenty years. It was a position many felt had been bought, rather than earned, back when he'd first gotten the job. His victory over the incumbent had been quite unexpected, given that he was new in town and just 19 years old. Rumor had it that the Reynolds family had somehow fixed the election, to secure their new son-in-law a respectable job in the public eye. But over the years, he'd come to be thought of as a fair and wise man; he was both well-liked and well-respected by the entire town. No one was sure why he tolerated Lianne's elaborate spending (or her drinking), but they would certainly never question him about it to his face.

The Neptunian's knew, though, that whatever was still left of the old Reynolds' fortune wasn't sure to last much longer. "One of those Mars' girls needs to land a doctor," was a phrase that was often bandied about town. Yet Lianne and Keith's daughters were picky about who they dated. The two eldest in particular, Megan and Veronica, remained an elusive prize for the single men of Neptune High. While they were regular fixtures at social functions, beach parties and school dances, they rarely dated and never seriously.

The truth was, they were much happier in each other's company than they were in the company of nearly anyone else. In addition to that, Meg was rather shy, and hated going anywhere alone. So they'd stuck together since childhood. Many joked that Meg and Veronica were the_ real_ twins, not Lilly and Gia. Aside from looking much more alike than their fifteen year old sisters, they absolutely never argued. Lilly, on the other hand, enjoyed antagonizing her twin more than any other pastime- with the exception of flirting with boys.

"Lilly! That's _my_ halter top!" Gia complained. "I told you to stop wearing my clothes. You always end up stretching them out, with those ridiculous boobs of yours."

Lilly rolled her eyes and took a sip of orange juice. "You're just jealous because you're as flat as _this_." She snickered and held up her pancake.

Gia crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously. "Meg! Make her give it back to me."

Before Meg could speak up, Lilly snorted. "Oh please. It's not like you don't have eight _million_ other halter tops." She sighed heavily. "And it's not like we have anyone to show off to, anyway. Every single person we know is in Mexico." She shot Veronica a sour look.

Veronica caught her look, but returned an innocent smile. "You act like it's _my _fault that we couldn't go. You know very well that Mom and Dad couldn't afford to send all five of us down there for the week."

Lilly made a face. "Don't play dumb. We _know_ that Dick offered to pay for all of us to go. Why didn't you just let him?"

"Because then he would have expected something in return," Veronica replied calmly, turning the page of her newspaper. She'd just started to read again when Lilly interrupted her.

"Well so what?" she demanded. "He's rich, cute, fun… Everyone knows he's been in love with you since you guys were, like, five. I'll _never_ understand why you won't date him."

Meg and Veronica exchanged glances. Dick Casablancas was a bit of a sore subject for Veronica; she'd managed to put off his advances for years, keeping things strictly in the friend zone. But he'd been getting a certain look in his eye lately that was starting to make Veronica very nervous. She'd been more than happy to forego his big Spring Break bash in Mexico.

Veronica took a sip of her tea and turned to Lilly. "I just don't have feelings like that for him."

"So?" Gia spoke up, halter top theft forgotten. "Fake it. At least that way, we could all be partying our butts off down in Cancun, at some cabana on the beach-"

"Instead of wasting away in Neptune," Lilly finished, sighing dramatically. She shook her head at Veronica. "Now that he's about to go Pro, all of the little surf bunnies are just dying to snap him up. You're nuts if you don't at least give him a chance."

Veronica laughed. "Are we talking about the same Dick? The guy who called you Lilly Longstocking for, like, three years?"

"Don't forget Lilly the Kid," Gia said, giggling.

"And Lilly Goat," Meg added with a smile.

Lilly opened her mouth to retort, but Mandy finally spoke up. "Don't you guys think we're all too young to be partying in Cancun anyway?" she asked softly. "I've heard things get pretty crazy down there. There are all kinds of contests where men try and get girls to take off their tops, and…" she lowered her voice to a whisper, looking horrified "…people have sex right on the beach!"

Veronica and Meg both suppressed smiles at their naïve younger sister. Mandy was, by far, the least experienced (and the least popular) among them. While she shared Meg's sweetness and Veronica's spirit, Gia's playfulness and Lilly's charm, there was no additional facet to her personality that enabled their middle sister to stand out from the rest of them. It was almost as though the order of her birth had destined her to a life of mediocrity.

Mandy never seemed to mind, much. She claimed that she'd gladly turn down a date for a night at home with her piano or a good book, any day of the week. But that may have been because she was rarely asked.

Lilly just rolled her eyes, dismissing her sister's conservative viewpoint as always. "Big deal. Mom lets us do whatever we want and you know it. Besides, _everyone_ hooks up when they're on vacation." She glanced at Veronica pointedly. "Maybe if Dick had seen me in my new red bikini, he would have realized that he's been chasing after the wrong sister. I mean_, one _of us needs to land a rich guy, right? It may as well be me."

With that, she stood up and left the room. Gia followed after a moment, bored with her older sisters, who were all reading silently. A short time later, Mandy announced that she needed to go practice piano, and wandered into the study. Veronica tried to continue the article she'd been reading, but she found she was too distracted. She folded up the paper and stared out the window.

Meg, who was extremely attuned to her younger sister's moods, placed a ribbon in the book she'd been reading and closed the cover. "What's up?"

"I hate that term. 'Land a rich guy'," Veronica replied, making a face. "But the sad fact is, Lilly's right. You and I both know that things are bad- worse than even Dad is willing to admit. If Mom keeps spending the way she is, we could lose the house." She stirred her tea absently. "At least _one_ of us has to do something to improve our financial situation, after we graduate… But I, for one, intend to do it by starting a business, or becoming a famous photographer. _Not_ by marrying someone for their money."

Meg looked thoughtful. "I'd do it," she admitted after a moment. "If things got really bad for the family."

Veronica looked at her in surprise. "You would? Even if you didn't love the guy?"

"Well… I'd _prefer_ to love him. But I could make it work, if I had to."

"You're a better person than I am," Veronica replied, shaking her head. "I'm not crazy about the idea of getting married as it is. And I _definitely_ wouldn't put up with some guy I didn't love, just because Mom likes to piss away our money on spa days and boo-."

Veronica stopped speaking abruptly as her parents walked into the sun room, taking a quick sip of her tea to explain away the silence. Lianne, who was still in her nightgown, sat down wordlessly and poured herself a large mug of black coffee. Keith, in his uniform, greeted them with a big smile. He dropped a quick kiss on each of their heads as he reached across the table for a Danish, and then he pulled up a chair next to Veronica.

Keith would never admit it aloud, and he tried his best not to show it, but he couldn't help favoring Veronica over his other daughters. Their personalities were extremely similar, and they'd always shared a very close bond. Despite growing up with wealth and privilege, his second born was extremely grounded. Veronica cared far less about appearance than she did about substance; she had friends from all different types of social backgrounds, never seeming bothered when people whispered that she was "slumming it" with her friends from the 90902 zip code. Keith, who had grown up solidly middle class himself, was proud of his daughter's integrity.

"Good morning, girls." He nodded at the newspaper. "Anything I need to know about before I head to work?"

"Apparently Crazy Girls re-opened their lunch buffet. So if you happen to be on the seedier end of Pacific Ave later, you may want to keep that in mind," Veronica joked.

"Good looking out, kiddo. Do you think they offer a discount to law men?"

"Not sure. But there's a coupon in here for a free lap dance. Sacks has been looking kind of lonely since his last breakup. Maybe this will cheer him up?" she suggested.

"All right," Lianne finally spoke up. "Enough of that." She turned to her husband. "Don't forget, we have the Black and White Charity Ball at the Albacore Club tonight."

"Uh…" Keith replied. He hastily took a bite of his Danish and avoided his wife's eyes.

"Keith," she whined. "I told you about this a _million_ times. Are you seriously making me go to another function alone?"

"I'm sorry, honey," he apologized. "I forgot. I promised that I'd train the new kid, Leo, for a few hours after my shift ends tonight."

"Well can't you make someone else do it? Isn't that one of the benefits of being Sheriff?" she demanded.

"You know I like to train all of the new guys myself. I let Lamb train Sacks, and look at how well _that_ turned out," Keith joked, trying to lighten the situation. "I promise to come to the next one."

Lianne sighed and looked down at her coffee, and Keith flashed Veronica a quick grin and a wink. She knew very well that he'd scheduled the training for tonight on purpose. He despised social functions, especially the ones that required dressing up in a tuxedo. But he didn't like making his wife unhappy, so he always found a way to make up for his absence. Today, his plan was to appease her with a piece of gossip- one of her very favorite things.

"So," he began, "I met a very interesting young man yesterday. Someone new in town."

His wife glanced up, her interest piqued. "Oh?"

"Pulled him over for a broken brake light, right down the road from here. Turns out, he just moved into that vacant house on Netherfield Lane." Keith kept his voice casual, taking another bite of his Danish. But his wife was reacting exactly as he'd anticipated. She leaned towards him, her eyes widening and her cheeks flushed.

"Do you remember his name? Rumor has it one of the Kane's bought that house, but no one has been able to confirm it yet," Lianne said.

"Kane?" Keith asked, feigning confusion. "Hmm. Doesn't sound familiar."

"Yes, yes, _Kane_," Lianne told him impatiently. "You know, as in Kane Software? There's been talk of them opening up a new branch of the company right here in town, some type of research and development complex. Haven't you heard _any_ of this?"

Veronica and Meg looked back and forth from one parent to the other, listening with interest. Jake Kane, founder of Kane Software, was a multi-millionaire. And rumors had been flying at Neptune High for weeks that his teenage son might be moving to town. Apparently, he was grooming his son to one day take over the company.

Keith smiled widely at his wife. "You know what? As a matter of fact, I _do_ think his name was Kane. Yes. I'm certain of it. Duncan Kane."

Lianne clasped her hands together in delight. "That's him, that's Jake Kane's son! Oh, wait until I tell Natalie and Barb, they always get all the good gossip first. And you actually _met_ him! To think, the heir to Kane Software living just a block away…" She glanced at her daughters, and then looked back at Keith. "I just know he'll want to meet the girls."

"Naturally," Keith agreed. "Meeting our daughters was no doubt his sole reason for moving to Neptune."

His sarcasm was lost on Lianne, who was still talking excitedly. "What if he falls for one of them? Can you imagine?" She reached out and stroked Meg's hair back, looking at her daughter proudly. "Oh, of course he will! Just look at this face. 'Megan Kane' has a nice ring to it, doesn't it sweetheart?" She turned back to her husband, not waiting for a response. "We have to figure out a way to run into him again, this time with the girls."

"How about a yard sale?" Keith suggested, winking at Veronica again. "We could line them all up on a bench, let him have his pick? For a modest price, of course. I think I have a Sharpie, somewhere… How should we price them? Age? Height? Hair color?"

Veronica burst out laughing; she couldn't help it. Her mother shot her a look of annoyance. Lianne was well aware that Keith got along with Veronica better than the other girls; sometimes, the two of them seemed to be speaking a language that no one else understood. She resented their closeness a bit; she'd never had that kind of relationship with Veronica. In fact, she'd always had a sneaking suspicion that Veronica didn't think very highly of her.

"We'll see who's laughing when Meg sails off into the sunset on the Kane yacht," Lianne retorted.

Veronica just smiled, used to her mother's moodiness. "Meg, do you have anything to say about this? Or are you content to be, quite literally, shipped off with a complete stranger?"

"Well, I'd obviously prefer to _meet_ him once or twice, first," Meg joked.

"Your wish is my command," Keith replied.

Lianne looked around the room, as though Duncan were about to reveal himself at any moment. When he didn't appear, she turned to her husband. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Well, after some keen detective work, I discovered that the young Kane heir himself will be attending the Black and White Ball tonight," he replied.

"_What?_" Lianne gasped. "What detective work? How do you know that?"

"From years on the job, I've learned to look and listen carefully for clues. I assure you, he'll be there," Keith told her.

Lianne stood up abruptly, grabbing Meg's hand and pulling her up from the table. "We have to go shopping _immediately_."

"What?" Meg asked, resisting her mother's grasp. "Why? I already have a dress picked out, remember? The one I wore to Aunt-"

"No, no, no. You can't wear that. Not _now_. We have to get you something new. I want you to look stunning tonight." She turned to her other daughter, feeling slightly guilty for leaving her out. "Veronica? Do you want to come shopping with us?"

"No thanks," Veronica smiled. "I'm good."

Lianne turned to Keith. "Not a word to anyone, okay? If people hear Duncan Kane is coming to the ball, they'll know to look their best. Meg has an edge over the competition, and we want to keep it that way."

"It'll be tough, but I'll try and restrain myself from telling the guys down at the station," Keith replied. His wife nodded at him very seriously and left the room, towing an unhappy but obedient Meg behind her.

Veronica grinned at her dad. "Why do you insist on encouraging her?"

Keith shrugged, returning her smile. "I can't help it."

"So can I guess what your keen detective work was?"

"Shoot."

"You saw an invitation to the ball in his car, and you asked him if he was going?" Veronica guessed.

Keith chuckled. "You might just have a future in this biz, kid." He stood up and reached across the table for another Danish. "If this Duncan boy is as smart as his old man, you may just give Meg a run for her money." With that, he kissed her on the cheek and headed out the door to go to work.

"Odds are, he's just another spoiled, vapid rich boy," Veronica muttered to herself. "No thank you." She stared out the window again, wondering if she'd ever meet a man who she didn't get bored of within the first few minutes. Someone who challenged her, excited her. Someone who was her intellectual equal. "Well, if I ever do, it certainly won't be at a Neptune Charity Ball." She re-opened the newspaper and continued to read, enjoying the rare silence.

**Please Review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N I swear, I have the best reviewers ever. That's not just my opinion, it's scientific fact. I'll break out the pie charts if necessary. ;)**

Chapter 2

Duncan Kane sat looking out the window of his limousine, enjoying the view of the Pacific Ocean at sunset. The other four passengers with him chatted about this and that, providing pleasant background noise. Impulsively, he hit a switch next to him, lowering the tinted black divider so that he could speak to the driver.

"Hey, Al? Do you think you can drop us off right here?" he asked.

"Whatever you'd like, Mr. Kane," Al replied. He pulled over to the side of the road and parked the car.

As Duncan waited for Al to come around and open the door, his best friend Logan elbowed him in the side. "What the hell are you doing, man? I think this place is still, like, six blocks away."

Duncan shrugged. "I just thought it would be nice to walk alongside the ocean, for a bit."

Logan rolled his eyes, but he got out with the others when Al opened the door. Duncan's two sisters shot confused and slightly annoyed looks at each other; yet they waited silently as their brother gave instructions to the driver. When he was done, the five of them began walking slowly down the sidewalk. Logan glanced at his friend. "This little stroll would be a hell of a lot more comfortable if I weren't wearing a tux," he pointed out.

Duncan laughed. "Oh c'mon, man. You can't tell me this doesn't feel great after the shitty winter we had in New York." He gestured to their left, where orange and red clouds moved lazily across the sky. "I mean, look at that."

Logan turned his head to the side, taking in the sky, the ocean breeze and the distant sound of waves crashing; he secretly agreed that it was pretty amazing, but he'd never admit that to his friend. Instead, he shrugged and changed the subject. "So what exactly is it that you're dragging us to, anyway?"

"I told you, it's a charity ball," Duncan replied.

"Yeah, but for what charity?" Logan asked.

"Cancer." Duncan's younger sister, Madison, slowed her pace so that she could walk next to them. She stayed very close to Logan, letting her arm brush up against his as they walked. "It's always for cancer, isn't it?"

"No, not always," Duncan said, frowning. "I'm not sure what it's for, to be honest. All I know is that the mayor himself invited us. And Dad thought it would be a nice gesture if we went."

"Well, if Daddy thinks it's a good idea, I won't complain," Madison replied, smiling sweetly at her brother.

"Speak for yourself," Trina retorted. "I don't think Daddy's big plan was to have us arrive at the party all sweaty and exhausted." She threw a disgusted look backwards at Duncan. "Brilliant plan letting Al go, little brother. The next time you want to drop us off ten minutes away from the party, _you_ can wear the heels."

"Do you want me to carry you, babe?" her husband asked. It wasn't a flip attempt at chivalry, but a serious offer. Connor Larkin was more than capable of carrying his wife the remaining three blocks. He was an actor well known for his physical attributes; quite a bit less known for having any real talent. Trina didn't mind. He'd been voted one of People's Sexiest Men Alive four years ago, and that was good enough for her.

Logan tried to bite his tongue, but cracking jokes about Connor was always far too tempting. "Make sure and keep your body _really_ stiff when he picks you up, Trine. Let him get in a couple of good reps." He curled his forearms up and down, miming lifting weights. "Big McLargehuge here hasn't been to the gym in a couple of days, and I think it's starting to show."

Connor glanced down at his arms self-consciously, and Logan grinned. Madison laughed loudly to his right, placing her hand on his arm. "You are _too_ funny."

It took quite a bit of willpower, but Logan managed to restrain himself from brushing her hand away. He was well aware of her crush on him, and he was running out of ways to let her down gently. The girl was about as subtle as a bulldozer, and seemed incapable of taking a hint. At first, he'd been flattered by her crush; now, it was getting to be a bit of a nuisance.

Logan turned away from her and focused on his best friend. "Seriously, man. What the hell are we doing here? I mean, I get that the old man wants you to learn the business. But do you really want to spend your time in this little tourist trap town? Can't you just commute from L.A. or New York? Isn't that the whole _reason_ helicopters and planes were invented?"

Duncan just smiled. "Are you kidding me, dude? I finally get the chance to get out on my own, and you're giving me shit about it?" He grabbed his friend by the shoulders, shaking him vigorously. "Look at this place! Look at those waves… We definitely don't have _those_ back east."

Logan glanced out at the ocean again. He'd surfed a lot when he was younger, but he hadn't gotten the chance to hit any decent waves in ages; he was itching to get out there. "Fine," he conceded. "I'll give you the waves. But what are we supposed to do when we want an edible slice of pizza?"

Duncan laughed, throwing an arm around his friend. "We'll fly to New York and get one," he promised. "But you can't bail on me. All right? One of the only reasons Dad is letting me do this on my own is because you're with me, and we both know it. I like it here. Can you try and like it too?"

Logan looked at his friend. Duncan rarely asked him for anything, and neither did Duncan's parents- although they had every right to. The Kane's had raised him and his sister like they were their own children, for the last three years. He owed them the world, and he'd do anything for them. _Including waste away in some crappy little surf town._ Logan nodded at Duncan. "All right, man. I'll try."

It was easier said than done. They'd just reached their destination, a single story stucco building with a twinkling white sign that announced itself as "The Albacore Club". The five of them walked inside, Logan trailing behind the others as he stopped to survey the scene; it was worse than he'd expected. A few dozen locals were uncomfortably clad in their "finest", while men and women inexplicably wearing polar bear ears passed around drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

Duncan, however, seemed inordinately pleased with their company. "This is so awesome, man. Look at how laid back everyone is, even in evening gowns and tuxes. Only in SoCal, huh? It's so nice to get away from the Muffy's and Taylor's of the world, isn't it?"

Logan shrugged, deftly grabbing a glass of champagne off a passing polar bear's tray. "All of the Muffy's and Taylor's_ I've_ known have loosened up quite nicely, with the proper persuasion."

"Tequila?" Duncan joked.

"Alcohol is completely unnecessary, when you know what you're doing," Logan smirked.

"Well," Duncan replied, "not all of us are blessed with your powers of persuasion." He glanced around the room, looking appreciatively at a pair of blondes who stood at the bar. Before he could point them out to his friend, Madison came over to them.

"Are you sure we're entirely safe here?" she asked, looking around her uncomfortably. "I don't think there's security here or anything. And the doorman barely even glanced at your invitation."

Duncan put an affectionate arm around her. He knew Madison was a bit of a brat, but she was his kid sister and he loved her just the same. "Don't worry. Logan and I won't let anything happen to you," he promised. Madison smiled at him, and then she turned and gave a very different sort of smile to his friend. Duncan frowned. His sister's crush on Logan hadn't escaped his notice, and he wasn't entirely pleased about it. At seventeen, Logan was only a year older than Madison; but he already had quite the reputation among the ladies at Claremont Prep.

Aside from that, the two of them were worlds away when it came to life experience. Madison had lived a pampered, sheltered life, rarely venturing far from their Upper East Side apartment in Manhattan. Logan had grown up the son of two actors, traveling to exotic locations and attending the most exclusive parties, when he was just a child. His parents weren't just any actors- they were Lynn and Aaron Echolls, the most famous Hollywood couple of their generation.

But when he was twelve, they'd been killed in a terrible car accident. Logan had been in the car with them, but he'd survived. Everyone called it a miracle. He and his younger sister Heather had been shuffled from one set of relatives to the next, all of them looking to profit from their vast inheritance. Jake Kane, his father's long-time friend, had stepped in as soon as he'd caught wind of what was going on. He'd finally gained custody when Logan was fourteen years old; he and Heather had been living with the Kane's ever since.

The Kane's were old money in New York, with ties to the Astor's and the Roosevelt's. But the Echolls' were Hollywood royalty. Logan's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all been actors- and many people were hungry to capitalize on that fame. Jake had become something of a business manager to his foster son; protecting him from the bottom feeders, teaching him how to recognize a good opportunity from a sham, instructing him how to invest his money wisely. At fifteen, Logan had produced his first film. It had been a massive hit, and it had been followed by many others. Over the last two years, his millions had quietly become billions. And Logan had managed to keep himself and his sister, who he was wildly protective of, out of the limelight.

He looked around the room and sighed. He missed Heather. She was home from school this week, and Logan had wanted her to come with them. But Jake and Celeste had thought it was a bad idea, and he'd had to respect their wishes. He wished he was back in New York with her; he hardly ever got to see her anymore. The last place he wanted to be right now was in this stuffy room, hanging around with a bunch of strangers. But Jake had asked him to stick close to his children, and he'd given him his word. Logan always kept his promises. He turned to Duncan. "I need a drink."

"You have a drink," Duncan pointed out, gesturing to his glass of champagne.

Logan downed the champagne in a few gulps and set it down on a nearby table. "Not anymore. C'mon."

They headed over to the bar, waiting briefly for the bartender to notice them. When he walked over, he surveyed them carefully. "What can I get you?"

"I'll have a Glenlivet. The 25, if you have it. Rocks."

"Same," Duncan said.

"Sure," the bartender replied. "Can I see some I.D.?"

Logan laughed shortly and turned to Duncan. "Is he serious?"

Duncan shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "He's just doing his job."

"Right," Logan said. He studied the bartender for a minute. He only looked to be a few years older than them, but there was a hard look in his eye that suggested he'd experienced more than he should have, at his age. Logan sized him up, wondering if he'd accept a bribe or if he'd take it as an insult. He took his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out his license, handing it to him without a word.

The bartender studied it for a minute. "This says you're 17."

"It sure does," Logan agreed.

He looked from Logan to Duncan and crossed his arms over his chest, making no move to get their drinks.

Logan pointed at the I.D. in his hand. "You're supposed to be looking at the name, pal, not the age."

He furrowed his brow, not appreciating at all being called "pal", or Logan's tone of voice. He'd recognized the Echolls name immediately; everyone knew that name. But he wasn't about to risk losing his job, just because a couple of rich white boys wanted to impress the ladies by sipping on their fancy scotch. "I don't know you," he told Logan, keeping his voice level but firm.

"So?" Logan asked, looking bored.

"So I'm not your _pal_," he said pointedly.

Logan stood up straight, no longer looking bored. His friend took hold of his arm, saying something to him that the bartender couldn't hear. But before things escalated any further, the owner of the Albacore Club, David, spotted the two young men. He recognized them at once and came hurrying over. David smiled brightly and gestured to Logan's license, which the bartender was still holding. "There's no need to worry about that tonight, Eli. Alright?" He gave him a meaningful look. "Go on and give that back to him now, and get these gentlemen whatever they'd like."

Weevil gritted his teeth and stared at his boss angrily, making no move to return the license. He was about three seconds away from punching David in the face, and then taking care of the smug rich boys in front of him. But then rational thought kicked in- he needed this legitimate job, to keep local authorities from getting suspicious about his other activities. _And the extra cash don't hurt either._ He exhaled and nodded slightly. "All right."

Logan smirked at Weevil, but said nothing as he took his license back and slid it into his wallet. He turned around and leaned his back against the bar as he waited for his drink, looking around him in distaste. If he was stuck here, the least he could do was get good and drunk.

**xxXxx **

Meg and Veronica stood at the bar, completely unaware of the altercation that had occurred just ten feet away from them. They hadn't even noticed the arrival of the infamous Duncan Kane and his friends. They were both facing out towards the dining area, watching their mother warily as she spoke to their aunt, Natalie Mackenzie. They'd been there for less than an hour, but Lianne was already on her fourth martini. Veronica groaned inwardly as she watched her mother stumble and fall into the arms of the mayor; her raucous laughter could be heard all the way across the room and over the music.

Veronica got Weevil's attention, and he came walking over to her with a big smile. "Hey, V. Lookin' fine, as always."

"What's up, Eli," she returned, smiling back at her friend. "What, no polar bear ears?"

"C'mon, girl," he said, raising an eyebrow. "You know me better than that. I told David exactly where he could shove those ears." He glanced down the bar, his expression darkening. "I wouldn't mind telling him again," he muttered. Weevil looked back at Veronica, running a hand across his smoothly shaved head. "Besides, they didn't exactly go with my hairdo."

"Well I think you'd still manage to make them look tough," she joked. "Hey, do you think you could maybe do me a favor?"

"You want me to slip some shots into your sodapop?" he asked with a wink.

"Maybe later," Veronica laughed. But then she glanced around, lowering her voice. "But for now, could you, um, maybe put a little less vodka in my mom's drinks?"

Weevil nodded at her, no hint of a smile on his face now. "Consider it done."

Not thirty seconds after she'd made the request, Lianne arrived back at the bar. She handed her empty glass to Weevil and turned to the girls with a big grin on her face. "Well I just heard some _very_ interesting news," she informed them.

"What is it?" Meg asked.

Lianne threw an arm around each of them and turned them slightly, so they were facing the other end of the bar. "Do you see those two young men there?" The girls nodded, trying to twist their bodies away so they weren't so conspicuous; but their mother had a firm grip on them both. "Well," she continued, "guess who the one on the left is?"

"Um, Duncan Kane?" Veronica guessed dryly. She barely glanced at the young man, more occupied with trying to pull herself from her mother's grasp.

"Better!" Lianne cried. "That, my girls, is Logan Echolls! Son of Lynn and Aaron Echolls. Can you believe it? Sammy just told me that he's a _billionaire_! At seventeen! Isn't he the most _gorgeous_ thing you've ever seen?"

Lianne, in her state of inebriated excitement, was speaking in a voice that carried quite clearly. The young man in question looked up at them, and Veronica blushed fiercely; she was sure he'd heard everything. They locked eyes for a moment; then he shook his head slightly and walked away. Veronica finally managed to push her mother's arm away, perhaps a bit more roughly than she'd intended. Lianne didn't seem to notice, intent on relaying all of the information she'd gathered.

"Did you see who else came in with them tonight? _Connor Larkin_. All of these celebrities, right here in Neptune! Isn't it exciting? Connor is married to Trina, Duncan's older sister, and I _believe_ he brought his younger sister here tonight as well- although I didn't catch her name. Did you see Duncan, girls? There he is, you can see him clearly now that his friend has stepped away."

Veronica, mortified, glanced at Meg for support. But she was staring at something behind Veronica, a rather dazed look in her eye. Veronica followed her eyes. The object of her sister's attention was Duncan Kane, and he was staring at Meg right back. After a moment, he blinked a few times and gave her a rather shy smile. He approached the women slowly and cleared his throat.

"Hello," he said, addressing them all but looking at Meg. "I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Duncan. Duncan Kane. I just moved to Neptune a few days ago."

Lianne stuck out her hand, and he shook it politely. Just moments after she'd introduced herself and her two daughters, several other people approached the group. No one wanted to be left out. Veronica zoned out as Duncan became acquainted with a dozen or so people in a matter of minutes. She noticed that Logan had approached the bar again, but he was standing several feet away from their group. She watched him surreptitiously as he sipped on a drink that clearly wasn't soda. She wondered, briefly, how he'd pulled that off.

Her mother had been right about one thing; he _was_ gorgeous. That couldn't be denied. And it seemed clear to Veronica that he was well aware of that fact. There was something in the way he was leaning against the bar, looking so effortlessly elegant in his tuxedo, that made her inexplicably angry. No one had a right to be that damn pleased with himself. And the expression on his face as he surveyed the scene around him, something between distaste and pure boredom, made her feel a bit defensive.

Logan finished his drink in one last gulp and glanced back over at Duncan. His friend was surrounded by the local riffraff now, and he looked as though he couldn't be happier about it. Logan sighed. It was going to be a very long night. He noticed Duncan's glass was empty; against his better judgment, he headed towards the group of people to try and get his friend's attention. When Duncan finally looked up, he had a wide smile on his face.

"Hey, let me introduce you to some people," he said excitedly. "This is Lianne Mars, and her daughters Megan and Veronica. I actually met their father the other day, remember I told you I got pulled over for-"

"Nice to meet you," Logan nodded, barely glancing at them. He took Duncan's glass from his hand. "I'll go get you a refill while you talk to your new friends."

But Lianne, never one to take a hint, spoke up. "I hope you boys like to dance. We got a great local band to play tonight, Satin Nuance."

"Dancing isn't really my thing," Logan said quickly. "Excuse me."

Veronica watched him walk away, slightly shocked by his poor manners. It was obvious that he didn't want to be there, and that he had no intention of making any friends. _But the least he can do is try and be civil._ She glanced at Meg again, but her sister was still busy looking dreamily into Duncan's eyes.

Duncan managed to move closer to her, while the others in the group continued talking about the band. "I have to go say hello to the mayor. But, um, when I'm done, do you maybe want to dance?" he asked.

Meg smiled up at him, cheeks flushed pink. "Yeah," she said. "That sounds good."

**xxXxx**

Over an hour later, the party was in full swing. Veronica headed over to the bar, thirsty from dancing. She chatted with Weevil for a few minutes as he got her a soda. None of her sisters understood why she was friends with him, not even Meg. She suspected they were all a little afraid of him. Being the ex-head of a motorcycle gang, he didn't exactly have the greatest reputation. Veronica knew he was still involved in all sorts of illegal activities; but she firmly believed that he had a heart of gold.

He'd saved her, once, from some unwanted attention at a beach party. She'd been a freshman, and Weevil had been a senior. Slightly tipsy on beer, she'd wandered away from the party to look at the stars and listen to the ocean. A beefy football player, a junior named Stan Cross, had followed her. He was drunk, and he wouldn't leave her alone. Despite her protests, he'd pushed her down onto the sand, kissing her and grabbing at her, ripping her dress. When she'd tried to scream for help, he'd slapped a hand over her mouth. Veronica had started to panic as she'd felt his hand moving up her thigh.

The next thing she knew, a shadow loomed over them. It was Weevil. He pulled Stan off of her and punched him in the mouth, knocking a couple of his teeth loose. He kept on punching him and kicking him, until Stan was a bloody, unconscious mess. When he helped Veronica up off the sand, she was shaking and dazed. Although they'd never spoken a word to each other before, she'd stumbled towards Weevil and wrapped her arms around him in a grateful hug.

He was startled, but he held her back tightly, stroking her hair gently as everything hit her and she started to cry. He held her for a long time, waiting patiently as her cries died down into sniffles. Veronica pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. Weevil watched her silently as she calmly brushed the sand off of her dress and stood up straight, squaring her shoulders. He was impressed with her composure.

"What's your name?" she finally asked.

"Eli," he replied, wondering immediately why he was using his real name. The only people allowed to call him Eli were his grandmother and his niece.

"Thank you, Eli," she said, looking at him intently. "I'm Veronica. I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything about this to anyone."

Weevil glanced down at the bloody football player at his feet. Stan was a defensive end, and he had a lot of very large friends. "Yeah, well, I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything about it, either."

"Never," she agreed. They'd been friends ever since.

Veronica sat down on a bar stool, sucking her soda out of a straw as she looked around the room. She noticed that Logan was back at the same spot on the other end of the bar, still sipping on his drink and looking bored. Aside from one occasion, when Veronica had seen a pretty blonde pulling him onto the dance floor, he hadn't strayed far from that spot all night. He'd made no attempt to talk to anyone, aside from the people he'd come there with.

Mandy came up to her then, distracting her from her observations. She sat down on the bar stool next to Veronica and looked at the dance floor a little wistfully. Like Logan, Mandy had also danced only once that night. Veronica turned to her sister. "It's a shame all of the guys are down in Cancun," she said, attempting to make her feel better. "There's hardly anyone here to dance with."

"It's not like anyone would ask me, even if they _were_ here," Mandy replied matter-of-factly. She pulled her Kindle out of her bag, and within moments she was lost in an imaginary world.

Once again left with no one to converse with, Veronica glanced around the room for a diversion. When she spotted Duncan walking over to the bar, she turned quickly on her stool to face him. He and Meg had been dancing together all night; Veronica was hoping she'd get to hear what he had to say about her sister.

As soon as Duncan approached him, Logan set his drink down. "Finally. Come on, dude, let's grab your sisters and get the hell out of here."

"What? No way man, I'm having a great time. I was just coming over to get a drink." He got Weevil's attention, then turned to Logan. "Why are you being so lame tonight? You should get out there and dance."

"Here?" Logan scoffed. "I don't think so. Aside from the hot blonde you've already claimed, your sisters are the only other girls in here I'd be able to get within two feet of, without needing a flea bath afterward. And they're busy." He picked his glass up off the bar. "So, if I'm forced to stay here while you try and score, I choose to hang out at the bar and drink instead."

Duncan made a face. "I'm not trying to score. Meg's not like that. She's…amazing." He paused for a moment, accepting his drink from Weevil. He pulled out his wallet, leaving an extremely generous tip to make up for the little scene earlier. Then he turned back to Logan. "Dude, I know you're not blind. Look at how many gorgeous girls are here tonight." He glanced around the room. Spotting Veronica, he tapped Logan on the arm. "That's Meg's sister. Why don't you go talk to her, ask her to dance? She's seriously hot."

Logan looked up, barely glancing at her. "She's okay. Nothing to write home about."

"Are you kidding me?" Duncan asked incredulously. "She's a hottie and you know it."

"Apparently, we have very different standards," Logan replied dryly. "Besides, if she's so great, why isn't anyone else dancing with her? I'm not here to make some charity case feel better about herself."

Duncan stared at his friend, starting to get a little angry. "Dude, when did you become such a snob?"

Logan shrugged. "I can't help it if I have better taste than you."

Duncan shook his head. "You know what? If you want to sit here and be an obnoxious drunk all night, I'll just leave you to that."

"Thanks," Logan replied. He raised his glass in a mock toast, downing it in one gulp as Duncan walked away. He knew Duncan was right. He _was_ drunk, and he was probably acting like an asshole. But he didn't care. He didn't want to be there, and he didn't give a shit who knew it.

Veronica, who had watched and listened to their interaction with interest, smiled to herself. She was completely unbothered by Logan's assessment of her looks; in fact, she was rather pleased. She was now thoroughly convinced that her earlier suspicions about him had been accurate, and she loved being proven right. He was a rude, arrogant ass, and he'd just played the part to absolute perfection.

Logan glanced down the bar, looking for Weevil. But instead, his eyes met Veronica's. She was looking directly at him, and smiling widely. He stared at her, wondering if she'd overheard his conversation with Duncan… and then wondering, if she _had_ heard him, why she was smiling like that. He watched as she stood up from her seat, still grinning. She looked away from him, waving at Weevil to get his attention. He came right over to her and they spoke for several minutes. When they were done, he leaned across the bar and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

He continued to watch her as she walked across the room. He realized, suddenly, that of all of the women there, she was the only one wearing a white dress; everyone else had opted for classic black. Something about that appealed to him. It showed that she was independent, confident in herself. And she wore it well, he had to admit. Her dress came to just above her knees, and it was tight enough to show off her body without being tasteless.

Veronica stopped in front of a girl who looked to be about the same age, a brunette with a bright blue streak running through her hair. She whispered something into the girl's ear, and then the two of them turned to where Logan was standing and started to laugh. He knew, then, that she'd definitely overheard him. He turned away.

_Well, who the hell cares what she thinks about me?_ He glanced over at Weevil, who was still studiously ignoring him at the other end of the bar. _Anyone who's that friendly with the help can't possibly be someone of consequence._ Madison came over to him then, chattering in his ear about how dingy the bathrooms were, how terrible the band was, how she'd seen three dresses that were from last year's collection. He nodded, but he wasn't listening to a word. Instead, he turned back around and looked at Veronica. And for reasons beyond his comprehension, he continued to watch her for the rest of the night.

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**

**P.S. I promise I'm not trying to be a tease by keeping certain couples (who will remain nameless, but may rhyme with Vogan and Leronica) from interacting, but I'm trying to stay as true to the book's plot as I can here. They'll be bantering away before you know it. In the mean time, we get intense staring of the Season 1 variety. And we all know where that leads…**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N I knew when I started this that it wouldn't be for everyone, and I have to admit that's what I like about it. (To be honest, I'm actually really surprised and pleased that there's been as much interest in it as there has been.)**

**I *love* classic literature, and I've really enjoyed reading the reviews from all of you who share that love- and more specifically, who share my love of Jane Austen. To borrow a phrase from Anne Shirley, I feel like we're all kindred spirits. Writing this, and reading your wonderful critiques, is bringing me right back to Lit class in college. It's pretty freaking awesome.**

**So I want to say thanks to those of you who are giving this a chance. :)**

Chapter 3

Lianne had sobered up, slightly, by the time they arrived home from the ball. She was no longer slurring, anyway. But she was still speaking at a much higher volume than necessary. Despite every effort to drown her out, Veronica had developed a massive headache during the ride home. She got out of the limo with a sigh of relief, walking quickly to the house while her sisters trailed behind her. She was looking very much forward to going up to her room immediately, changing into her pajamas, and heading across the hall to Meg's room for their customary post-party chat.

But when she walked inside, she found her dad poking around the kitchen, looking for something edible. Knowing her mother was useless in the kitchen, Veronica took pity on him and made him a quick sandwich. She sat down with him at the kitchen island for a moment while he ate.

"Well?" he asked. "Did Duncan Kane drop down on his knee and propose to Meg the moment he saw her?"

Veronica smiled. "No."

"Then the new dress was a failure, and a complete waste of money," he said with a grin.

"I'm not so sure about that," Veronica admitted. "Meg definitely caught Duncan's eye. They danced most of the night."

Keith groaned. "Oh no. This will just encourage her."

She laughed. "I suspect Meg will have a whole new wardrobe by the time school starts up again next week."

Her father laughed with her, although he looked decidedly nervous about the prospect of Lianne spending so much money. He took another bite of his sandwich and chewed it slowly, studying his daughter. "And how about you, kiddo? Did you break all the young men's hearts, as usual?"

For some reason, an image of Logan Echolls leaning against the bar flashed in her head. Her smile faded. Veronica had laughed heartily about him with her friends and sister's just a couple of hours ago, quick to make what he'd said about her into a joke. But now, under the careful scrutiny of her father, she couldn't seem to drum up the same indifference. Veronica had never been slighted like that by anyone before; she had to admit, she wasn't terribly fond of the feeling. But before she'd had time to reply to her father, her mother came into the kitchen and sat down on the stool beside her.

Lianne wasted no time describing the ball in detail, from who had attended to what the band had played. Keith listened patiently, until his wife began to talk about the dress her friend Barb had worn. "…really inappropriate to wear something so tight, I mean the woman has three children and she's older than_ I_ am. And her _shoes_-"

"Please," Keith pleaded, holding up his hands. "No shoes."

His wife sighed but didn't press the subject. Instead, she turned to Veronica, whose headache was quickly returning. "Mandy told me what that Echolls boy said about you. Who the hell does he think he is, anyway, that _my_ daughter isn't good enough to dance with?"

Veronica shrugged. "Oh, he's nobody important. Just your average billionaire." She glanced at her dad with a grin, but he was frowning.

"Someone didn't want to dance with you, sweetheart?" he asked her, brows raised in surprise. As far as Keith was concerned, his daughter was perfect. _And anyone who can't see that is a complete fool._ "I don't believe it."

"Believe it," his wife said sourly. "You should hear what he said about her. That he'd catch fleas if danced with her, that he'd rather swallow broken glass-"

"He didn't say-" Veronica began.

"I mean can you believe how _rude_? He refused to talk to anyone, just drank like a fish at the bar all night- even though he's only seventeen years old, mind you- looking around him like he was in some third world country instead of an exclusive yacht club. Wouldn't dance with anyone, not even _Meg_-"

"I'm confused," Keith finally interrupted her. "What was he even doing there?"

"He came with Duncan," Veronica replied. "Apparently they're very good friends."

Keith smiled and glanced at his wife. "Well I'm not sure what that says about _Duncan_, if he has friends like that."

Lianne shook her head gravely. "On the contrary, _he_ was a complete gentleman. Even better than I'd hoped. Charming, polite, so handsome." She leaned in closer to her husband. "Did Veronica tell you? He danced with Meg _all night_."

Veronica, who'd heard enough of this particular subject on the ride home, stood up. "I'm pretty beat, I'm going to bed." She walked over to her dad and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, honey." He looked at her carefully. "I hope this boy didn't hurt your feelings. Billionaire or not, he obviously has no taste."

She smiled at him. "Don't worry, Dad. I wouldn't have danced with him, even if he _had_ asked me."

Veronica said good night to her mother and headed upstairs. Face washed, teeth brushed and pajamas on, she headed to Meg's room. She found her sister sitting up in bed, staring into space. She leaned against the open door frame and crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" she teased.

Meg smiled. "Yes, as a matter of fact. I was thinking about Duncan. Happy?"

Veronica walked into the room and sat down on the edge of her bed. "Very, if you are."

"I am," Meg confessed. "I know it's crazy, I've only known him for a few hours, but… I've never met anyone like him before."

"Well, think about the guys we know," Veronica laughed. "Most of them are idiots. No wonder you're in shock." She looked at her sister for a moment. "But… I think he might just be one of the good ones."

"I think so too," Meg agreed quietly. "He's so educated, and polite, and sweet…"

"Don't forget handsome," Veronica added with a grin. "That doesn't hurt either."

"No," Meg admitted. "It doesn't. He has the most gorgeous eyes…" She trailed off for a moment, smiling to herself. She thought about how intently he'd looked at her while they'd danced. His eyes had never strayed to another woman, and he hadn't asked anyone else to dance; Duncan had been entirely focused on her.

When she came back to the present and found her sister staring at her with a knowing smile, she blushed and continued. "I've… never felt this way about a guy before. I just- I can't stop thinking about him."

"Well," Veronica said, "for what it's worth, you have my nod of approval. You've definitely crushed on far less worthy boys, through the years."

Meg laughed and swung her pillow at her sister. "You should talk. Weevil?"

"For like a _second_," Veronica replied. "Cut me some slack, I was fourteen and I thought his tattoos were cool."

"And his motorcycle," Meg teased.

Veronica rolled her eyes, but didn't deny it. "It was years ago, and nothing ever came of it. He's like my big brother now, it's too weird even talking about it."

"And Casey?" Meg asked, eyebrow raised. "I saw you dancing with him tonight."

Veronica sighed. "The less said about _that_, the better." She cleared her throat. "So did you talk to Duncan's sisters at all?"

"A little. They were really nice."

"You think?" Veronica asked doubtfully. "They didn't seem very friendly, to me."

"Oh, no, they're just a little reserved. I mean, try and put yourself in their shoes; they didn't know anyone there. Once Duncan introduced us, they turned out to be sweethearts."

Veronica bit her lip. "And… Logan? Did you speak with him at all?"

"Just for a minute." Meg looked at her sister. "I can't believe what he said about you."

"Which version did you hear?" Veronica joked. "Mom may have embellished a bit, just so you know."

"Gia told me. And it was very rude of him. But... Well, maybe you just caught him on a bad day. Maybe he'll grow on you?"

"Maybe," Veronica agreed dryly. "Like a tumor, or a fungus, or a wart."

"Oh c'mon, he can't be _that_ bad. Duncan and his sisters had nothing but nice things to say about him."

Veronica was silent for a moment. She knew her sister rarely found fault in anyone, but she was far more skeptical. She'd seen nothing from Logan but conceit and disdain. But all she said was, "Well, if he has the Kane stamp of approval, I'm sure he can't be all bad."

"I'm glad you think so," Meg said slowly. "Because, um, I think he's going to be at Uncle Sammy's party tomorrow."

"Ugh, really?" Veronica groaned. She'd been looking forward to the party all week. Her aunt and uncle's house was right on the beach, and it was the perfect party house. It had an enormous deck outside- complete with pool, hot tub, built in barbeque and fire pit. She'd spent many fun nights there with her sisters and cousins, over the years. "Why would he be _there_?"

"Sammy invited Duncan, and told him to bring his friends. I think he was hoping to talk shop with Logan. He's a producer too."

Veronica looked at her incredulously. "But he's just a teenager. Sammy can't possibly be taking him seriously."

Meg shrugged. "According to Duncan, Logan's been doing this for a few years. Apparently he's pretty well respected."

Veronica was still a bit surprised, but she shook it off. "Well, I'm sure it won't be too hard for me to ignore him, with everyone there." She smiled at her sister. "And at least you'll get to see Duncan again."

"I know. I can't wait," Meg admitted. "Just- please don't tell Mom he's going to be there. I don't think I can take another four hour shopping spree."

Veronica laughed and stood up. "Not a word, I promise." She gave her sister a quick hug and walked to the door. "I'd say sweet dreams, but I know I don't need to."

Meg smiled, not denying it, and Veronica shut the light off and closed her door.

**xxXxx**

The following afternoon, Duncan and Logan sat across from each other at a small metal table at Fresco Café. They'd opted to sit in the outside patio area, as the day was warm and breezy. Logan was absorbed in an article in Variety about an upcoming Ridley Scott project. When he finished reading it, he closed the magazine and looked over at Duncan.

Although Duncan had announced his intention to go through his emails, his laptop still lay closed in front of him. Instead, he'd spent his time staring at the reflection of the clouds in the Koi pond next to him. Logan watched in amusement as his friend absently spooned sugar into his coffee. After the fifth spoonful, Logan finally spoke up.

"I see you like your sugar with coffee and cream. Mike D would be so proud."

"Huh?"

"Maybe it's because you're too sweet to be sour. Too nice to be mean."

Duncan stared at him blankly.

Logan rolled his eyes and took a sip of his own coffee. "You need to broaden your musical horizons, dude. Seriously." He glanced around him, sighing impatiently. "Where the hell are the girls? I'm starving."

"I don't know," Duncan said vaguely. "Maybe there was a long line at the store."

"Long line my ass," Logan replied, setting his coffee mug down with a thud. "They're just determined to spend every single cent your dad gave them before we go back to New York."

When Duncan didn't respond, Logan crossed his arms and stared at his friend. After a few minutes of silence, Duncan finally became aware of his surroundings again and looked back at Logan. "Huh?" he repeated.

Logan gave him a strange look. But before he could respond, Duncan cleared his throat and started to speak. "So I know it's always for a good cause, but those charity events are usually pretty stuffy and dull. Last night was so casual. It was a nice change of pace. Sort of refreshing."

"Yeah, well, you've always been more comfortable with the rabble than I have."

Duncan ignored him. "The girls there were really nice. So…relaxed, so easy to talk to." He stirred his coffee and took a sip, coughing at the sweetness.

Logan raised an eyebrow and gave Duncan a pointed look. "You're thinking about that girl, aren't you?"

Duncan smiled. "Maybe."

Logan sighed. But before he could say anything, Trina and Madison came hurrying over and sat down.

"Sorry, sorry," Madison apologized, placing several white shopping bags at her feet. "This town has a surprisingly good selection of bikinis." She gave Logan a coy smile. "I needed something new for our trip, and I just couldn't decide which one to get. So I got all of them. I hope you guys didn't wait for us."

"Of course we did," Logan replied, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "You told us you were only going to be five minutes." He handed them each a menu. "Hurry up and decide what you want, so we can order."

The girls spent several minutes deciding what to get. While Logan tapped his fingers on the table impatiently, Duncan watched a red and white Koi nibbling on some algae. "I wonder if Meg ever comes here," he said, barely realizing that he was speaking his thoughts aloud.

Trina glanced from Madison to her brother. "It's funny you should bring her up. We met someone at the store who had a lot of _very _interesting things to say about the Mars family."

Duncan looked up, suddenly fully attentive. "Really? Who?"

"This girl Carrie who worked at the surf shop." She leaned forward, her eyes lighting up with the thrill of relaying gossip; it was one of her very favorite activities. "Apparently, the mother- Lianne, I think- came from the wealthiest family in Neptune. They used to own half the town, she said."

"Bull shit," Logan replied, recalling the loud, stumbling woman of the previous night. "There's no _way_ that woman came from a good family."

"What happened to her family?" Duncan asked with concern.

Trina ignored them both, determined to tell the story at her own leisure. "Carrie told us that Lianne was really wild when she was younger-"

Madison laughed shortly. "Like _that's _a surprise."

"-and she got pregnant right out of high school," Trina continued. "Eighteen years old. And everyone knew the father _couldn't_ have been her boyfriend, because he was in Europe at the time. Plus, half the town had seen her riding on the back of another guy's motorcycle all summer. Talk about a scandal."

Duncan laughed. "Who cares? This is the twenty-first century, Trina. People getting pregnant before they're married isn't exactly considered shocking, anymore."

"At eighteen?" Madison replied, making a face. "How would you feel if _I_ came home pregnant in a couple of years?"

He shrugged, but didn't say anything.

"To make matters worse," Trina added, "she'd been dating the son of a senator, and he was about to propose to her. _Total_ embarrassment for both families."

"So what happened next?" Logan asked, curious despite himself.

"There was only one thing they _could_ do, to try and keep things respectable," Trina replied. "She had to marry the guy who knocked her up. Her parents threatened to cut her off, if she didn't. They bought the Sheriff election for him, so he'd have a decent job, and they've been married ever since." She shrugged. "I guess she wasn't _too_ upset about it. I mean, they ended up having four more kids together."

"In four more years," Madison added, making a face.

"Must have been monsoon season," Logan said dryly. Madison giggled, but he continued to address Trina. "Well, what happened to all of the money?"

"Oh they still have _some_, apparently," Trina answered. "No one knows how much. When her parents passed away, they split the estate between Lianne and their other kids. I guess she thought it wouldn't ever run out. But she-" Trina paused abruptly and glanced over at Duncan. "But she was wrong."

Trina decided to leave it there. She could tell Duncan liked this girl, and it had been a long time since he'd been involved with anyone. _If he wants to have a little fling with Meg, there's no harm in that. She seems like a nice enough girl, even if her family _is_ a hot mess._

But Madison couldn't resist chiming in. She'd seen the way Logan had looked at Veronica Mars the previous night, and she hadn't been at all pleased about it. _I want to make sure Logan knows just how trashy that family is, so he wants nothing to do with her._ "You forgot the best part!" she added cheerfully. "That girl Carrie told us she _drank_ half of her money away. Last night was business as usual, for Lianne Mars." Madison smirked. "It must be _so_ embarrassing for her daughters."

Logan was silent for a moment, as he digested that information. He thought of his own mother, who'd seldom been without a martini glass in hand. _No one calls it a problem, when everyone is doing it. Or when you're surrounded by people who tell you that everything you do is fabulous, because they're paid to tell you that._ But Logan remembered more than a few occasions when it had been _his_ mother, stumbling around at a party. And then, of course, there was the night of the accident…

"What do _you_ think, Logan?"

"What?" he asked, snapping out of his thoughts. Madison was looking at him expectantly.

"I was just asking what you thought about the Mars' sisters? The way everyone was gushing about them last night, well… Trina and I thought they left a lot to be desired." Madison glanced at Duncan. "Except, of course, for Meg." When Logan didn't respond, she continued, watching him very carefully. "Veronica, in particular, is spoken of very highly. Rumor has it that she's turned down some of the wealthiest men in town. I can't imagine what the attraction is."

An image of the blonde in the white dress came to his mind, as it had every few minutes since he'd woken up that morning. He'd watched her for over an hour last night, laughing, flirting, moving around the room. Since she'd left her bar stool, she'd been in constant motion- she seemed to know everyone there, and they'd all wanted to talk to her, or dance with her. He'd particularly enjoyed watching her dance, her movements light and graceful.

She'd had several different partners, and seemed equally happy with all of them. _There was that one guy, though, who she danced with three times._ He was tall, with dark brown hair and an Armani tux, and he'd never been farther than ten feet away from Veronica. Logan had watched him watch her, and it was obvious there was more going on there. _Was he one of the men she turned down? Who are the others?_

Logan became aware of a silence, and noticed that Madison was still looking at him expectantly. He had no intention of sharing his thoughts with anyone, least of all her. He took a sip of his coffee, then looked up at her. "The daughter of the town drunk," he remarked dryly. "What a prize."

Madison and Trina laughed, but Duncan shot him a slightly disgusted look. "Why do you always insist on being so damn negative?" he demanded.

"Why do you insist on being so fucking happy all of the time?" Logan returned calmly. He and Duncan stared at each other. It was an argument that they'd had many times, over the years. Logan thought that Duncan was far too trusting, while Duncan considered his friend much too jaded.

"Meg is a sweetie though, isn't she?" Trina spoke up, trying to break up the tension.

"_Super_ sweet," Madison simpered. "We should totally ask her to come shopping with us next week. At least _one_ of those sisters's has class."

Logan said nothing, looking down at his coffee. He was trying to get the image of Veronica laughing at him out of his mind. He stood up abruptly. "I'm going to find a waiter. This is getting ridiculous."

It felt good for him to move, to have a distraction. He walked inside the café and up to the front, stopping at the front desk as the only waiter in sight finished up taking another table's orders. Movement outside the glass front of the restaurant caught Logan's eye, and he looked up as several girls walked past. One of them stopped walking and bent down quickly, adjusting the strap on her sandal. She looked to the side suddenly, catching him in his stare. It was Veronica.

She returned his gaze coldly, not looking away as she stood up slowly. Lilly, noticing her absence from their group, turned around and jogged back over to her. When she reached her sister, Lilly grabbed her arm. Veronica jumped slightly; she hadn't heard her coming.

"What are you doing, silly?" Lilly asked. "Hurry, we're gonna miss the movie!" She took Veronica's hand and pulled her forward. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to miss a _second_ of Clive Owen."

Veronica laughed and allowed her sister to lead her away. She didn't look back.

Logan stood staring out the window for a few seconds, although there was nothing there. In the haze of his foul mood and intoxicated state of the night before, he hadn't truly appreciated how good looking she really was- especially up close. He was struck with a strong urge to follow her, to see where she was going… _But why the hell would I do that?_

"Can I help you with something, sir?"

He stared down at a short, young black man, who was looking up at him with a friendly smile. "Uh, yeah," he replied vaguely. "We've been waiting at a table outside for a really long time."

"I'm so sorry about that. I'm the only one here today, and it's been pretty crazy. I'll come back with you right now to take your order."

Logan followed him, glancing behind him once before he walked outside. The young man introduced himself as Wallace and apologized again for the delay. They all put in their orders and he hurried away. Madison and Trina got up to use the ladies room, leaving the two friends alone again.

Duncan turned to Logan. "Did you happen to meet Sam Mackenzie last night?"

"Who?" Logan asked distractedly. He couldn't stop thinking of the way Veronica's smile had faded when she'd looked at him.

"Sam Mackenzie," Duncan repeated. "He's a producer too. I thought you might know him?"

"Mackenzie? Oh, yeah. He's been around for years. He used to do a lot of big budget stuff, Spielberg and Cameron. But I haven't heard his name in awhile." Logan shrugged. "I think he might be doing indie films, these days."

Duncan nodded. "Well he was telling me last night, he's producing a movie that's going to be shot on location here in Neptune. Some kind of teen surf thing. I don't know, it sounds pretty cool. You may want to look into it. It might be something worth investing in."

"Doubtful."

"Why don't you keep an open mind?" Duncan suggested.

Logan smiled, despite himself. "Fine," he agreed. "Get me his number and I'll give him a call."

"I could do that… _Or _you could just talk to him about it tonight, in person." Duncan grinned at him.

"Huh?" Logan asked suspiciously.

"He's throwing a party at his place later," Duncan replied. "And I told him we'd be there."

Logan sighed. "You're killing me, man."

"Hey, we're on vacation. What's better than a party on the beach?"

"With a bunch of people who I don't know and don't give a shit about? Pretty much anything," Logan returned.

"Sam is Meg's uncle," Duncan added offhandedly. "I think she's maybe going to be there, too."

Logan smirked at him. "It all suddenly makes sense now."

"I really want to see her again," Duncan admitted.

Logan took a sip of his coffee, taking a moment to study his friend before he replied. Duncan's eyes were lit up, and he was smiling slightly. _I didn't realize he liked her this much._ His friend had notoriously bad taste in women; they tended to attach themselves to him like leeches, while he happily let them help themselves. Logan had had to step in on more than one occasion, although Duncan didn't know that.

He thought about the stories Trina had told them about the Mars family earlier. Regardless of their former status, it seemed clear they'd fallen pretty far in the past twenty years. _And the last thing Duncan needs is to be tied to a family with that kind of reputation. The tabloids would have a field day, and she'd milk him for every penny._ "Just be careful, dude," was all he said. "You don't know anything about this girl."

Duncan laughed. He knew Logan was overly-cautious, and he appreciated that he always had his back. _He may have been right in the past._ _But he's wrong about Meg._ "I know that I like her," he replied simply. "And I know that I want to get to know her better. We're _going _to that party."

Logan didn't bother arguing. When Duncan had his mind set on something, he could be incredibly stubborn. _So now I'm stuck wasting _another_ night of my Spring Break surrounded by a bunch of strangers. Fantastic._ But before long, his thoughts strayed back to Veronica. _If Sam is Meg's uncle, that means he's _her_ uncle too. I wonder if she'll be there tonight… _

**A/N I was really hoping to get to the "Lucas Lodge" party this chapter, but there was more groundwork to lay than I realized. It's been a challenge to keep the plot within a specific framework. I tend to veer off in unexpected directions when left to my own devices, so in this story I'm constantly having to remind myself to keep things on track.**

**It's been a tough couple of weeks, so a kind review would really make my day :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Yay for all of Anne of Green Gables love! Gilbert Blythe was probably my first love. He's like a Canadian Lloyd Dobler. **

**Thank you, as always, for your wonderful reviews. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. This was a fun one to write. :)**

Chapter 4

Although he'd arrived at the Mackenzie house with a group, Logan quickly found himself alone. Duncan and his sisters had gone looking for Meg, and Connor had headed right for the buffet- which just happened to be set up directly across from a pool full of bikini-clad women.

It wasn't long before Logan spotted Veronica. She was standing on the outside patio, talking to the girl with the blue streak in her hair again. Veronica was dressed casually, in a dark green sundress and sandals. Her hair, which was much lighter in the sunlight, was pulled back into two messy pigtails. Logan could only see her in profile, from where he was standing, and he was struck with a sudden desire to see her more clearly. Without giving any thought to why he cared, he found himself moving closer to where she stood.

He pretended to be studying the food at the buffet; but after a few seconds he moved down the table so that he was only a few feet away from where she was standing. She was talking animatedly to her friend, her eyes glittering with mirth as she spoke. Logan could see black bikini straps peeking out from below her dress; he wondered if she'd be joining the others in the pool. He thought about what she'd look like in a bikini, and he was momentarily unaware of everything else around him…

A high-pitched shriek brought Logan out of his reverie. He looked up to see Lilly, laughing and splashing water at a boy who was chasing her across the pool. Gia quickly intervened on her twin's behalf, grabbing the boy around the waist and dunking him backwards into the water. When they surfaced, Lilly snuck up behind him and yanked his swim trunks down. She and Gia giggled uncontrollably while the boy hurriedly pulled them back up again, his face a solid shade of red.

Veronica watched her sisters with a frown. _I need to talk to Dad about the twins. They're getting far too wild for their own good._ She looked around, hoping none of the other partygoers had seen her sisters bad behavior. Only one person appeared to have noticed. _Of course. Logan Echolls._ He glanced over at her and she lifted her chin, refusing to show any sign that she disapproved. She turned back to Mac, annoyed that he'd caught her looking at him.

But Mac was distracted by something off to their right. She glanced at Veronica, a smile on her face, and nodded her head in that direction. "Meg certainly seems to be getting along well with the new boy."

Veronica followed her gaze. Duncan and Meg were sitting at a table with his two sisters, on the wooden deck that adjoined the stone patio. Although neither was talking, they kept glancing over at each other when they thought the other one wasn't looking. Veronica smiled to herself.

"Do you think she likes him?" Mac asked.

"Are you kidding?" Veronica laughed. "I think she's in love."

Mac watched them for a moment, then turned back to her cousin and shrugged. "Yeah? It's hard to tell."

Veronica frowned. "Really?"

"Well not for _you_, probably. You know her better than anyone. But if she wants to seriously date him, you may want to tell her to be a little more obvious about it. It's not every day someone like _that_ comes along."

"Why Mac, are you _jealous_?" Veronica teased.

"No, of course not. I'm just saying… If I had a Duncan Kane interested in _me_, you'd better believe I'd let him know I was interested in him right back." She sighed heavily, casting her eyes downward. "Especially if it was the only way I could stay off the streets," she muttered.

Veronica looked at Mac sharply, catching her sudden mood change. She had a feeling she knew what her cousin was referring to, but they'd never spoken about it so openly before. "Is it that bad?" she whispered.

"It's bad," Mac confirmed grimly. "Bad enough that we could lose everything."

Veronica's eyes widened in surprise. She'd known that her uncle Sammy, Mac's father, had been having some financial trouble lately; but her mother and aunt kept assuring her that everything was fine. His ex-partner had gotten into some trouble with the IRS, several years earlier- so he'd helped himself to a big chunk of their money and left the country. Since then, her uncle had been forced to invest in smaller movies, and they hadn't had much commercial success. She patted Mac's arm sympathetically, and her cousin continued.

"We both know that _my_ mom likes to spend money just as much as _your_ mom does," Mac began. "This party was her idea, of course. And Dad…" She glanced at her father, who was speaking to a group of people on the other side of the pool. Mac lowered her voice. "I overheard him talking to someone on the phone the other day. He said his last three movies have all lost money. He said he put every cent he has left into this new film, and it's already going way over budget. He said if it doesn't do well…"

Veronica looked at her in concern. She was about to say something, when Mac shook her head slightly. Veronica was confused, until she noticed that Logan was walking by. She prayed that he hadn't overheard any of that. _The last thing Sammy needs is all of the bigwigs in Hollywood whispering about his money problems._ Logan glanced at her as he passed, then continued over to where Duncan and Meg sat. She watched him briefly, trying not to think about the fact that he looked just as good in casual clothes as he did in a tux.

Mac looked from Logan to Veronica with a smile, happy to change the subject. "He's been looking at you since he got here, you know."

Veronica turned back towards her. "Yeah, well, he's probably just trying to think of another way to insult me," she remarked dryly.

"Oh I'm not so sure about that," Mac said, glancing back and forth between the two of them. Although Logan was now seated at the table with his friends, he was still facing them and continued to look in their direction. She glanced back over at Veronica, who hadn't dated anyone seriously in months. "If he wants to look at you, we should give him a show."

"Huh?" Veronica asked distractedly.

Mac grinned mischievously and pulled on one of the ties of Veronica's halter sundress. It slipped off before she had time to catch it, and she suddenly found herself standing in just her bikini and sandals, dress around her ankles. A couple of guys in the pool started clapping and whistling suggestively. Mac glanced quickly at Logan, to check his reaction. He was staring at Veronica intently, his mouth slightly open. _I thought so._

Veronica shot her cousin a venomous look, but made no attempt to pull the dress back up. Instead, she stepped out of it, then folded it up carefully and handed it to Mac. She bent down and undid the straps on her sandals, kicking them off to the side. "I wanted to go swimming anyway," she informed Mac coolly.

Mac laughed. "Good. I think Casey needs a partner."

Veronica turned back to the pool. Gia and a boy she didn't recognize were attaching a net across the pool, and Casey was climbing out and heading her way. "Oh no," she groaned. She looked over at Mac, who was silently shaking with laughter. "You wait, Mackenzie. I'll get you back for this."

Casey arrived, dripping with water and (Veronica had to admit) looking fantastic. He grinned down at her. "I see you're in your suit. Are you finally ready to play?"

She looked back up at him, fully understanding what he was really asking. But she couldn't seem to say no; and before she knew it, Casey had picked her up and jumped into the pool with her in his arms. She swam to the surface and pushed her wet hair out of her eyes. "A little warning would have been nice."

Casey just laughed, his eyes sweeping over her body appreciatively. "Climb on board," he said, patting his shoulders. He bent down at the waist to make it easier for her.

"Fine," Veronica agreed. "But if you start getting frisky with those hands, Casey Gant, you're getting slapped."

He gave her a sly smile. "You've never complained before."

She stuck out her tongue at him, but dutifully climbed up onto his shoulders. The next thing she knew, they were involved in a very competitive game of water volleyball.

Mac watched them play for a few minutes, wondering why Casey was even there- he was the only guy in their group who hadn't gone down to Cancun with Dick. _It's not like he can't afford it... Did he stay in Neptune just so he could have Veronica all to himself? Eliminate the competition? Dick would lose his freaking _mind _if he saw the two of them right now. It's probably a very good thing that he's not here._

She glanced back over to where Logan was sitting, to see how_ he_ was reacting to Veronica and Casey's aquatic activities. But Logan was no longer at the table. She was surprised when she spotted him walking directly towards her.

Logan put out his hand when he reached her, getting right to the point as always. "Hi, I'm Logan. I don't think we've met."

Mac transferred Veronica's dress to her other arm and shook his hand. "I'm Mac. Well- Cindy. But everyone calls me Mac. This is, um, my house." She knew she sounded like a babbling idiot, but Logan had such an intense look in his eye that he was making her feel flustered.

"Nice to meet you," Logan said quickly. He glanced over at the pool, where the game was now in full swing. Veronica seemed to be a skilled player; the guy whose shoulders she sat on looked thrilled to have her as a partner. _But maybe that's because he's got his hands wrapped around her thighs._ He glanced over at Mac, who was also watching the game with interest. "Looks like fun," he commented.

"It is, for athletic types," Mac agreed. "Have you ever played before?"

"No. I live in New York. We keep things a little more traditional. Football, soccer, skiing." Logan knew he was pretty terrible at small talk, so he decided not to waste any more time trying. He nodded at the pool. "I think I saw that girl at the ball last night."

Mac shot him a look. She knew they were both well aware of the fact that he'd not only _seen_ Veronica there, but he hadn't had the nicest things to say about her. "Yeah," she replied dryly. "That's my cousin, Veronica. We were _both_ there last night."

Logan caught her tone, but he just nodded. _I probably deserved that._ "And that guy she's with," he continued nonchalantly. "Is that her boyfriend? I saw them dancing together last night."

Mac hid a smile. She liked how direct he was, but she was surprised that he was showing such blatant interest in Veronica. _For someone who claimed to find her so unattractive, just last night, he's certainly been absorbed in her every movement since then._ "That's Casey Gant. They used to date. But she broke it off with him, a few months ago."

He watched them together for a moment, feeling something strangely like relief at hearing they were no longer a couple. They were clearly comfortable with one another, moving in sync and talking easily. It seemed the ex-couple had actually managed to stay friends. But then Casey started to slide his hand up Veronica's leg, and she playfully smacked it away. Logan's eyes narrowed. "Did she get around to telling _him_ that they were broken up?" he asked Mac, attempting to keep his voice even.

Mac just looked at him, feeling a bit defensive on Veronica's behalf. _Is he implying that she's a big flirt? That she likes to toy with men_? _And why does he even care? Unless he's trying to find out if she's easy…_ She continued to observe him as he kept looking straight ahead, towards the pool, and she realized something interesting. Logan hadn't taken his eyes off of Veronica for a single second. Not since he'd first asked Mac if Casey was Veronica's boyfriend. She smiled to herself. _Or is he just… jealous?_

"Why do you say that?" she finally replied, trying to keep the curiosity out of her tone.

He shrugged. "It's pretty obvious he's still into her."

"Yeah," Mac confirmed. "He is." Once upon a time, she'd had a crush on Casey herself; and she'd thought that he'd shown interest in her, too. But ever since he'd kissed Veronica at a party the previous summer, he'd only had eyes for her. After months of pursuing her, Veronica had finally agreed to date him. It hadn't lasted long. She'd broken up with him abruptly over winter break. _And he's been trying to get her back ever since. _

"Pretty much every guy at our _school_ wants to date my cousin," she added quietly, more to herself than to Logan. She glanced over at him. "Hey, you want a drink or something? We have water, soda… beer, wine…"

Logan didn't answer her right away. His attention was still completely focused on Veronica. Mac wasn't surprised at his lack of response- she was used to it by now. Having grown up with five beautiful cousins so close in age to herself, she'd long since stopped trying to compete. She knew she was a decent enough looking girl, and that she had a lot to offer. But everyone else sort of seemed to fade into the background when a Mars' girl was around. Mac had made her peace with it. _Mostly._

"No thanks," Logan finally said vaguely. "I'm good." He ran his hand through his hair a couple of times, continuing to stare at the pool. Then he turned abruptly, and walked into the house.

Mac watched him go. _Interesting. Very interesting._

**xxXxx**

Sometime later, Mac found her cousin sitting by herself on the beach, in the shade of the deck above them. She took a seat next to her. "So. How was your game?"

"Fun," Veronica replied. "We won, so…"

Mac wasn't going to let her get away with it that easily. "You and Casey looked friendly," she remarked, nudging her in the side.

"Yeah," Veronica said with a sigh. "I think I may have gotten a little too carried away with the game."

"Meaning?"

Veronica stretched her legs out in front of her and gave Mac a wry smile. "Meaning I was flirting with him. And I shouldn't do that. It's not fair." Veronica knew that Casey wanted to get back together with her- he hadn't exactly kept that fact a secret. And while she liked him, and genuinely wanted to keep him as a friend, she just didn't feel the same way about him that he did about her. As soon as she'd realized that, she'd ended things with him.

But she'd known Casey for years, and she was comfortable with him. _And there's definitely still a physical attraction between us. _It was hard to keep her pact with herself not to lead him on, sometimes. Especially on those occasions when she'd had a few drinks at a party… and he'd come up behind her and start massaging her shoulders, or telling her in a whisper how sexy she looked… Veronica wasn't proud of it, but she'd had a couple of weak moments since they'd broken up. _And of course,_ _all that did was convince him to try harder. _

"Have you had anything to drink today?" Mac asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes," Veronica admitted. She groaned and put her face in her hands. "Keep me away from him, Mac."

After their water volleyball win, she'd spontaneously given Casey a victory hug. But when she'd tried to break away, he'd held her to him tightly and suggested they find a secluded spot on the beach. Veronica had made a non-committal reply and gotten out of the pool quickly. She'd taken her dress from Mac, grabbed her shoes and gone to the bathroom to change. When she'd come back outside and seen Casey waiting for her, she'd slipped around him and gone to hide below the deck.

Mac laughed, but patted her on the back sympathetically. She wanted to tell her that Casey was the least of her problems, if Logan's earlier interest in her was any indication, but she didn't want to freak her out more. Movement out of the corner of her eye made her twist her head to the left. Lilly and Gia were hauling something down the wooden steps of the deck, whispering and giggling. Mac took a closer look at the object, and realized it was one of the coolers from the party.

Veronica stood up and walked over to them. Without a word, she stepped in front of them and pointed up the stairs.

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Oh come _on_. I totally saw you drinking a beer before."

"Yes. _One_ beer, Lilly. Not a whole cooler full of beer. And I'm two years older than you."

"Oh what_ever_," Gia said, hands on her hips. "Like you didn't sneak beers when you were fifteen."

"Don't worry about what_ I_ did. You guys get out of here before Dad or Sammy figures out what _you_ did. And leave the cooler."

The twins sighed heavily but set it down and headed back up the stairs. Mac got up and walked over to Veronica, grabbing one handle of the cooler. "Here, I'll help you get this back up there."

Veronica hesitated, and they exchanged looks. "Just one?"

Mac laughed. "Okay," she agreed. "But if we run into Casey, you're in trouble."

**xxXxx**

A little while later, Logan watched Veronica and Mac walk up the stairs with the cooler, pausing frequently and laughing. _There she is._ The thought popped into his head before he could stop it. He'd convinced himself that he didn't care where she'd disappeared to. And yet, he'd found himself wandering aimlessly around the party, walking inside and out of the house.

He'd thought, at first, that she may have slipped off with the guy from the pool. But then Logan had spotted Casey by himself on the deck, looking around him with a frown on his face. After a time, Veronica's two younger sisters had come over to him and dragged him down to the lower patio to play cards.

Veronica and Mac had finally reached the top of the deck. They set the cooler down, and Veronica pushed it with her foot to the corner, glancing around her to see if anyone was looking. She turned to Mac. "After all of that work, I think I need another beer."

Mac laughed and shook her head warningly. "Do I have to baby-sit you all day? I thought Lilly and Gia were bad. C'mon, let's grab some food."

The girls walked over to the buffet, and Logan continued to watch them unnoticed from his spot by the railing. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was about Veronica that was so fascinating to him. Originally, he'd written her off as just another carbon copy California blonde. And while he'd always been a sucker for blondes, he normally dated brunettes. But there was something about her that was different, and he'd been trying to identify what it was all day.

She wasn't drop dead gorgeous. If he were to compare her to Meg, for instance, Meg was clearly the prettier of the two. If someone were to see a photograph of the two of them side by side, Logan was pretty confident they would come to the same conclusion. _But in person, when you _really_ look at her… _Somehow she was more attractive. There was a fluidity to her movement, an expressiveness in her mannerisms and facial features, that just made her seem so much more alive.

Logan continued to look at her with a critical eye. He was attempting to analyze her with detachment, as though she were a math problem. He focused on her body. Physically, she wasn't his usual type. He tended to go for women who were a bit curvier. And taller. Yet earlier, when he'd seen her in just her bikini, he hadn't been able to stop staring. Logan had a vivid imagination, and his mind had instantly been occupied with a whole slew of scenarios involving him and Veronica…in the pool, on the beach, atop the buffet table, plates of food swept violently onto the floor to make room…

Just as he had earlier, Logan found himself forced to look away from her. He turned towards the ocean for a moment, taking a few deep breaths and trying to compose himself. _This is ridiculous. I don't let people get to me like this, I just _don't. He stared at the water angrily, trying to regulate his heartbeat_. I'll just stay away from her. We're going back to New York in less than a week. I think I can manage to avoid her until then._

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than did he hear the sound of chairs scraping across the deck behind him. He turned around to see Mac and Veronica, plates of food in their hands, about to sit down at the table not five feet from where he was standing. Veronica looked up and noticed him at the railing. Once again, she frowned at the sight of him; and once again, Logan found himself very disappointed in her reaction.

"Let's go inside," Veronica suggested quickly, looking back over at Mac. "I'm thirsty."

"There are plenty of drinks out here," Mac replied. "What do you want?"

"Just water. But I, uh- I think I need to get out of the sun for a minute."

Mac looked at her, confused. But then she spotted Logan, and she suddenly understood the request for a change in venue. "Sure," she agreed amiably. "Let's go."

They walked into the house. Veronica was careful to keep her eyes straight ahead as they skirted around Logan. She made a vow to avoid him for the rest of the day.

Yet Logan made that close to impossible. Wherever she went, he seemed to show up. And although she never looked directly at him, she was sure he was watching her. _But why? He made his feelings about me perfectly clear. Is he keeping tabs on me, making sure I don't try and go after his friend? He should be far more concerned about Meg._

Duncan and Meg had long since disappeared onto the beach, deciding that it was a beautiful day to take a walk. Trina and Madison had agreed and followed them, oblivious to the fact that the two of them wanted to be alone. Duncan and Meg were both too nice to say anything. By the time they got back to the party, the sun was starting to dip down into the ocean.

As soon as it began to get dark, a deejay arrived and started to set up. The catering staff swiftly began to rearrange the furniture on the lower patio, making room for a dance floor. An afternoon of drinking had made the guests relaxed and loose, and before long most of the partygoers were dancing. Duncan and Meg were among them. Veronica watched her sister from her vantage point on the deck, grinning to herself. She'd never seen Meg look so happy.

Logan, meanwhile, found himself involved in a conversation with Sam Mackenzie. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but Logan was barely listening. He had just spotted Veronica, standing by herself at the railing. He tried to force himself not to look in her direction; but once again, his eyes betrayed him.

She was looking down at the dance floor, smiling to herself. He realized, suddenly, that he could no longer see the bikini straps peeking out from beneath her dress. _Well that makes sense. She probably didn't want to put her dress on over her wet bikini. Oh, Jesus, does that mean she's not wearing anything _at all_ under her dress? _He swallowed hard and focused on what Sam was saying, desperate for the distraction.

"…so we'll have to film the big surf competition that takes place at the end of the movie in Hawaii, because the waves in Neptune just aren't going to cut it. And you know how expensive Hawaii can be, I'm sure. Plus the crew gets so distracted by the native women, they just don't want to work anymore." Sam chuckled. His attempt to get Logan interested in the film was failing, he could tell. The young man had barely returned two words to him, and he was clearly not paying attention. _I'll have to try again another time._

Sam cleared his throat. "I'm sure the last thing you feel like doing is talking shop with me. You should be down there, dancing with all of the people your own age."

Before Logan could reply, he was once again distracted by Veronica, who was moving towards them. She'd just spotted Lilly dancing rather inappropriately with the son of one of her uncle's friends. He looked to be at least twenty-five; and he either didn't know or didn't care that he was dancing with a fifteen year old. Veronica was guessing he didn't know. Lilly had matured quickly, and she loved telling people that she was much older than she actually was. Veronica was heading quickly in their direction when she felt a tap on her arm. She turned, surprised to see her uncle standing with Logan. _I thought he was far too important to talk to any of us lowly peasants._

"Perfect timing!" her uncle exclaimed with a smile, throwing an arm across her shoulders. "I was just telling Logan here that he should go have fun and dance, and you appeared like magic. And who could pass up the opportunity to dance with my beautiful niece?"

Veronica suppressed a smile and glanced quickly from Logan to her uncle with a raised eyebrow. "You'd be surprised," she replied dryly.

Sam thought Veronica's response a bit strange, but he'd never completely understood his niece's sense of humor. _She takes after her father, in that way._ He did, however, notice that Logan was looking at her with some interest, so he decided to try again. "Well, it's my job as host to make sure everyone is having a nice time tonight. And if that means forcing people to dance, well so be it," he laughed. "Have you two met?"

Logan put his hand out, but Veronica pretended not to see it. "Briefly," she replied curtly. She saw Logan withdraw his hand out of the corner of her eye, and she was slightly ashamed of her rude behavior. _Just because he doesn't have any manners, that doesn't mean I should stoop to his level._ She ducked her head to get out of her uncle's grasp, but gave him a kind smile. "I'm actually on my way to speak to Lilly. She's, uh, talking with your friend Walter's son. I wasn't going out there to dance."

"Don't be silly, of course you should go dance. Why else did I spend money on a deejay, damn it?" he joked. "Look, Meg is talking to Lilly right now." He smiled at Logan and Veronica benevolently. "You guys go have fun."

Veronica finally looked up at Logan a bit hopelessly, not sure what she could possibly say to get out of the situation. To her surprise, he was regarding her with a slight smile on his face. He nodded in the direction of the dance floor, without breaking eye contact with her. The pink lights of the pool had turned her blue eyes violet, and Logan was mesmerized by the sight.

She couldn't seem to look away either, caught up by the intensity of his stare. She found herself trying to figure out what was going on behind those dark eyes of his. He almost looked as though he were challenging her. But when he finally spoke, his voice was light. "Do you want to…?" He glanced towards the patio.

As soon as he looked away, Veronica found her voice again. She took a silent breath and forced a smile. "Thank you, but I'm not really in a dancing mood tonight. Excuse me." She hurried away, feeling incredibly flustered. _For a minute there, I almost said yes. What was I thinking? I'll _never_ dance with him._

Logan watched her leave, smiling despite himself. He couldn't remember the last time someone had turned him down. _Come to think of it, I don't think anyone ever has. _He was more intrigued by her than ever.

Sam excused himself, telling him that he had to get back to his other guests. Logan wandered over to the spot by the railing where Veronica had just been standing. He spotted her mother on the dance floor, being twirled around by a balding man with a big grin on his face. _Is that her father? Not what I expected._ After the story Trina had told him, he'd expected Mr. Mars to be some long haired degenerate with tattoos up his arms. _Not a chubby, middle-aged man in a button down shirt._ Lianne's face was pink, and she was sloshing the contents of her drink on the floor while she danced.

Logan looked away from them, scanning the patio for Veronica. He noticed her walking rapidly past the dance floor, towards the sliding glass doors of the house. She was intercepted by Casey, who immediately took her hand and tried to pull her towards the dance floor. She smiled at him but shook her head, gesturing towards the house. He bent down and whispered something in her ear, simultaneously running his hand down her arm. Logan unconsciously gripped the railing of the deck as he watched them. _I'm going down there._

He turned to leave, startled to find Madison standing directly behind him. She smiled up at him, handing him a glass of champagne. He accepted it, but didn't take a sip. "I bet I know what you're thinking," she said.

"I seriously doubt it," he replied dryly. Logan glanced back at the dance floor. Casey was standing in the same spot, looking a little aggravated, but Veronica was nowhere in sight. He felt inordinately relieved that she'd refused Casey too. He didn't think his ego would have been able to take it if she hadn't.

Madison laughed. "I think I know you better than you give me credit for."

"All right," Logan said. "What am I thinking about?"

She smirked at him. "You're thinking that you'd rather have a hot poker put through your eye then to have to spend another _second_ around these people."

Logan smiled. He had to admit, that was very close to what he'd been thinking the previous night. But now, the only images he could seem to conjure were of Veronica- kicking off her shoes confidently when she'd found herself in only a bikini, spiking the volleyball over the net and throwing her hands up in victory, giggling with her friend Mac as she'd come up the stairs… All the while with that playful, mischievous look in her eye that had captivated him all day.

"Actually," he corrected her, "I was just thinking that there's nothing quite as beautiful as a pair of blue eyes."

_But my eyes are hazel_, Madison thought, slightly annoyed. _Doesn't he know that by now?_ Yet Logan wasn't even looking at her; and she suddenly realized that he was speaking of someone else. "Who has blue eyes?" she asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"Veronica Mars," Logan replied, looking down at the dancers again. He still couldn't see her anywhere.

Madison's mouth dropped open. "Veronica _Mars_?" she repeated incredulously. She caught herself, quickly feigning disinterest. "Does she? I hadn't noticed."

Logan turned back towards her, setting the glass of champagne down on the empty table behind her. "She does," he confirmed. "Excuse me." He touched her arm lightly as he moved past her. Madison stared after him in dismay. She picked up his untouched glass of champagne and took a deep sip, sinking down onto one of the deck chairs as she scowled into the darkness.

**xxXxx**

Veronica sat at the piano in her uncle's study, feeling a bit unsettled. She very rarely let people dampen her mood. But her last interactions with both Casey and Logan had shaken her up a bit. _I let my guard down for five minutes with Casey, and he's convinced I'm in love with him. And Logan… what the hell was that about? One night he calls me a charity case, and the next night he asks me to dance?_

She reached up and shuffled through the sheet music, looking for something happy to pull her out of her mood. Not finding anything suitable, she decided to play the theme from _Peanuts_, which she knew from memory. When she'd finished, she smiled to herself, feeling much better. _It works every time. _She heard a chuckle from behind her and she jumped slightly, spinning around to see who it was.

Logan leaned against the door frame, a grin on his face. "You put Schroeder to shame."

Veronica frowned. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"I'm sorry. I heard the music, and I thought someone left the TV on. You play really well. I only wish I knew how to do the Snoopy dance, to show my appreciation."

Veronica couldn't help smiling at that image. She relaxed slightly. "My sister Mandy is the real virtuoso in the family. I just play for fun."

"Well that's the best way to approach any hobby, isn't it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and walking farther into the room. "For fun?"

She was surprised at his efforts to continue the conversation- just as she'd been surprised when he'd asked her to dance earlier. It was difficult for her to reconcile this relaxed, teasing version of Logan with the hard, unpleasant Logan of the night before. She wasn't sure why this sudden change had come about, or what game he was playing. But she did know that the last thing she wanted to do was leave herself open to further humiliation. When she'd looked into his eyes earlier, she'd almost forgotten the awful things he'd said about her. _But I won't let myself forget that again._ _I need to regain the upper hand. And the best defense is a good offense._

When Veronica wanted people to leave her alone, she'd discovered that speaking quickly and using proper grammar was often incredibly effective_. It always has Dick suddenly needing to go refill his cup._ She decided to try out the tactic on Logan. She closed the cover of the piano and turned to face him with an easy smile. "I suppose _some_ of us are more at leisure to engage in hobbies solely for the sake of fun," she replied. "While others, myself unfortunately included, consider any skill that's acquired a potential source of income."

"So are you planning on opening up a piano bar, one day?" Logan asked, without missing a beat.

"No," she conceded, grudgingly impressed that he'd followed along so easily. "But I may one day get called upon to do a duet with Elton John. You never know."

"True enough. Sometimes life takes you in unexpected directions." He smiled slightly and moved closer. "Of course, you could always pursue a Pro water volleyball career instead."

Once again, Veronica was taken aback. She hadn't seen him watching her play earlier. But she recovered quickly. "I sincerely doubt that would be lucrative enough for me."

"Is that because you have expensive tastes?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

She smirked at him and stood up, taking a step closer to him. "Not at all," she replied. "I often find the most expensive items to have little _real_ worth, when you examine them more closely. Most of the time, people are just paying for the name. And I've always believed that a rose by any other name _does_ smell as sweet. Excuse me."

Veronica walked out of the room and didn't look back. If she had, she would have been surprised to see the satisfied smile on Logan's face. He'd expected her to be lively and entertaining, just based on the way she'd interacted with everyone throughout the day. What he hadn't expected was her wit and intelligence. It was a welcome surprise, and it made her even more attractive to him.

Her veiled insult about his lack of real worth hadn't escaped him, however. _She's implying that she doesn't care who I am- that she's not impressed with my name, or my money._ Logan brushed it off. _Of course she's going to say that; that's what they all say. But I have yet to meet the woman who isn't impressed when she finds out I can make all of her dreams a reality._

Logan smiled confidently to himself and left the room. It was only after he'd reached the door to the patio that he remembered his pact to avoid her. He stopped in his tracks and stared at the wall. _What the hell am I doing? I've wasted my entire day thinking about this girl… and for what? This can't possibly go anywhere. And why would I even want it to? _

He opened the door and stepped outside, relieved to see Duncan, Connor and his sisters standing by the pool. He walked over to them quickly, keeping his eyes facing forward. Duncan smiled widely when he saw him. But before he could talk, Logan spoke up. "We're leaving. Right now."

Duncan frowned, but nodded his head. He knew it was pointless to argue when Logan got into moods like this. He'd already said goodbye to Meg, who had just left with her own family, so he silently followed Logan down the stairs and around the front of the house. The others walked behind them.

Logan didn't begin to relax again until they were in the limo and headed back to the house. He stared out the window, oblivious to the conversation around him. _It's just a stupid attraction. There's nothing about her that's different from any other girl. _By the time they'd reached the house, he almost had himself convinced. He started to become more aware of his surroundings as they walked towards the house.

Duncan was chatting happily with Trina. "I'm so glad you invited her. If I'd done it, it would have sounded weird. Are you sure she really wants to come?"

"Definitely. She's super excited about it. She said she just needs to clear it with her dad first, but she's supposed to give me a call in the morning," Trina replied.

"What are you guys talking about?" Logan asked.

"Oh, I invited Meg to come on our little yachting adventure with us," Trina told him.

"Just Meg?" he asked quickly.

"Of course," Trina replied, looking at him like he had two heads. "It's not like I'd invite anyone _else_ in that family."

Logan nodded and pushed the door open. He headed upstairs quickly, telling himself over and over again that it was relief he was feeling. Not disappointment. But when he got to his room, Duncan and Trina could hear the sound of his door slamming all the way from outside the house.

**A/N Thanks for reading, please review!**

**You guys have probably noticed that there are some characters here who don't have a Pride & Prejudice equivalent- namely, so far, Weevil, Wallace and Casey. I decided that keeping the VM universe intact takes precedence over sticking strictly to the story. Basically, I love those characters too much not to include them. (And I adore Casey.)**

**This will be the last chapter I'm going to post of this until I get Chapter 19 of Knowing the Difference done. I apologize to readers of this story who aren't following KTD; but it's been quite awhile since my last update on that story and people have been waiting very patiently. If anyone is wondering where it is, I've just been finding it difficult to write that because of some real life stuff. Also, I hit a snag about halfway through the chapter, and I couldn't settle on which direction I wanted to go in. But I woke up at 4:30 this morning and figured it out, so I will be moving forward. **

**I hope it doesn't take me too long to get back to this story, but I apologize in advance for any delay. I promise, there is some really fun stuff coming up :) Hope you stick with me!**

****Edited 4/13, to fix some things I wasn't happy with. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N This is on the shorter side, but I wanted to get something up before my wedding (which is a week from today, gah!).**

Chapter 5

Veronica came down the stairs and rounded the corner towards the kitchen, stopping short when she heard her parents arguing.

"-just three days, Keith, what could possibly go wrong? I know you and I didn't grow up in the same circles, but _trust_ me. These aren't the types of people you need to worry about!"

"Lianne they're _strangers_. I know Meg is a mature, responsible girl, but she's only eighteen years old-"

"Oh, but if it were _Veronica_, there wouldn't be any problem, right?"

Veronica listened intently, although she knew she shouldn't; she couldn't seem to step away. There was a pause in the argument, and when her father continued, his voice was much calmer. "Veronica is just a different sort of person than Meg, honey. She's very good at handling herself, no matter what the situation."

"Oh, please. That girl has you completely bewitched. She can do absolutely no wrong in your eyes."

"_That girl_? She's our _daught_er, Lianne!" Keith retorted, raising his voice in anger.

"Well so is Meg," Lianne replied defensively. "And I don't understand why you're even making this an issue!"

"Do you remember what I do for a living?" Keith demanded, voice thick with exasperation. "Every day, I do my best to try and protect the people of this town, _especially_ our girls, from the individuals out there who want to do them harm. And believe me, there are a lot of them out there- and they come from all walks of life. You think these people can be trusted, based solely on the fact that they have money? If you knew _half_ of the things that go on in Neptune, you'd realize that's _more_ reason not to trust them. Not less!"

There was a long silence. When her mother continued speaking, her voice was much quieter. "Would it make a difference if Veronica went with her?"

_Oh no._

She backed away from the kitchen quickly, afraid to hear her father's response. Her mother had been in an uproar for two days, appalled by Keith's decision not to allow Meg to take a boating trip with the Kane's. Veronica had been sad for Meg, who was truly disappointed about not being able to go. But she'd also been looking forward to today, when the ship took off and it became a moot point.

She headed up to her bedroom, changing quickly into running clothes and grabbing her iPod. _If I can get out of here before Mom finds me, I'll be safe. I know Meg wants to go… but I just can't handle three days trapped on a ship with Logan Echolls and Duncan's horrible sisters. I'm liable to throw someone overboard. _

Veronica crept silently down the stairs, pausing at the entrance to the kitchen to see if the coast was clear. Hearing nothing but silence, she walked rapidly across the tiled floor and over to the refrigerator. She'd just grabbed a bottled water and shut the fridge door when a voice behind her made her jump.

"There you are! Mom's been looking everywhere for you."

Veronica closed her eyes; she was too late. She turned around to face Gia, thinking quickly. "I'm actually just on my way out. Tell her I'll be back in a couple of hours, and I'll talk to her then, 'kay?" She attempted to move past Gia, but her sister grabbed her arm.

"But it'll be too _late_ then. Okay, I'll just tell you myself. Dad said he'll let Meg go on the trip if you go with her!" Gia grinned at Veronica expectantly. "Isn't that awesome?" She sat down on one of the stools at the island, not waiting for a response, and sighed. "I wish _I_ could go. Do you know how much it totally sucks being the youngest? Lilly and me don't get to do _anything_ fun."

Veronica was just about to tell Gia to suggest that very idea to their parents, and then attempt her escape again, when Lilly and Meg entered the kitchen. And as soon as she saw the hopeful, happy look on Meg's face, Veronica knew her decision was already made. She exhaled quietly and forced a smile for her sister. "Guess we're going on a trip, huh?"

Meg's eyes lit up, and she smiled back. "You're really okay coming with me?" she asked anxiously. "I didn't even want to ask you. I know how you feel about Logan."

"And I know how _you_ feel about Duncan," Veronica deflected. She clipped her iPod onto her waistband, and looked back up at her sister. "Well, if I'm gonna be cooped up on a boat for three days, I want to get a run in before we go. We're leaving from the Marina, right?"

"Yeah, the Albacore Club," Meg confirmed, looking a bit confused. "Slip five."

Veronica looked down at her watch. "And what time does the boat take off?"

"About 3."

"Okay. I'll meet you there."

"But what about your clothes?" Lilly spoke up, sounding slightly horrified.

"Just pack me whatever you think I'll need. I trust you."

Lilly stared at her sister, mouth agape. "But-"

"Oh, can I help?" Gia interrupted her.

"Sure," Veronica replied. She started walking away, but turned back before she left the room. "Just don't let Mandy see what you guys are doing, or it'll be nothing but pleated skirts and cardigans. I don't want to look like Librarian Barbie. Thanks, I owe you one!"

As soon as she was gone, Lilly turned to Gia and Meg with a devilish look on her face. "I'm totally packing that gold bikini she's too afraid to wear in public. Logan Echolls is gonna eat his words."

"Oh, and that black string bikini, too!" Gia added excitedly, always eager to assist in one of Lilly's plans. "And that _hot_ little red dress you got her for her birthday."

Meg frowned. "I don't know if this is such a good idea, you guys."

Lilly flashed Meg her most charming smile. "It's not a good idea. It's a _fantastic_ idea." She walked over to her oldest sister and put her arm around her shoulders. "He thinks he just can say nasty things about Veronica like that, and there won't be any consequences? _No one_ talks that way about a Mars girl and gets away with it."

**xxXxx**

Logan was walking leisurely along the dock, glancing around at the various boats, when he stopped short at the unexpected sight in front of him. _Veronica Mars. What the hell is she doing here?_ She didn't appear to have seen him yet; and once he got over his initial surprise, he took the opportunity to study her.

Veronica was dressed in black leggings and a grey tank top, her black sports bra visible beneath her shirt. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and she wore an iPod clipped to her pants. She had one leg propped up on a nearby wooden railing, and the other stretched behind her. As she bent her body, reaching forward with her hands, he was once again taken by her gracefulness and flexibility.

Her tight clothing left little to the imagination, and her stretches showed off her body nicely. Logan found his mind wandering as he watched her, considering the various ways that her flexibility might come in handy. Unconsciously, he shifted his body to face her, losing focus of everything around him except for Veronica.

It took several minutes for him to become aware of his surroundings again- to realize that he was, in fact, staring at her. Aside from that, he was having a physical reaction to her presence. _Again._ He shifted uncomfortably, and she chose that moment to turn around. Completely caught off guard, Logan struggled to compose himself as she headed in his direction. He stuffed both hands in his pockets and searched his mind for a less arousing subject matter to occupy his thoughts.

But Veronica was walking toward him quickly and decisively, as though she'd known that he'd been standing there the whole time. As she got closer, Logan could see that her skin was glistening slightly with perspiration, and her cheeks were flushed pink. He tried very, very hard not to think about what other activities would give her skin that same glow.

She stopped a couple of feet away from him and pulled her ear buds out, tossing the wires casually over her shoulder. Then she put both hands on her hips and looked up at him. When her eyes met his, Logan noted that they matched the water around them exactly- pale blue, with hints of grey and darker blues at their center.

"What are you doing here?" Logan asked. It came out sounding accusatory, although he hadn't meant for it to. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that the girl he'd spent the last two days trying desperately _not_ to think about was now standing directly in front of him.

Veronica chose to ignore his tone, and the fact that he'd skipped "hello". She'd been expecting an unenthusiastic greeting from all of them, except for maybe Duncan, so she wasn't surprised by Logan's reaction at seeing her. _But still. He could at least fake it better. Meg seriously owes me for this one. _"It was a last minute decision," she explained. "My dad didn't want Meg to wind up on the front page of the paper."

Logan looked at her in some confusion. "So you're… coming with us?"

She gave him a wry smile and gestured to the enormous boat behind her. "What, are you worried there's not enough room for me?" she joked.

Logan's lips curled up in an answering smile, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I suppose we could set up a cot in the engine room."

"Aw, you're too kind."

"We do our best to try and accommodate stowaways. It's only charitable." Logan's eyes swept quickly down her body, and he cleared his throat. "So, what, did you run all the way here because you were afraid we'd take off without you?"

"Not quite," she replied, making a face. "I wanted to get a jog in before we left. I'm not a big fan of being cooped up inside for days on end."

Logan laughed easily, nodding to the yacht behind her. "I'm pretty sure you won't feel cooped up on _that_ ship. Besides, there's a workout room on board."

"Of course there is." Veronica turned her body around, so they were both facing the ship. "Well, if you were trying to prove to the town that yours is the biggest, I think you won."

Logan glanced down at her with a smile, pleasantly surprised at the suggestive undertones of her joke. "Oh, I don't need confirmation on _that_," he returned playfully.

"And yet you still felt the need to push this monstrosity into the narrow walls of our little harbor?" she asked. Veronica glanced up at him, the mischievous look in her eyes belying her innocent expression. She wasn't sure how the conversation had taken this turn, or why Logan was playing along, but she had to admit- it was entertaining.

"No, actually," he corrected her, raising an eyebrow. "_That_ monstrosity isn't mine. It belongs to a good friend of Duncan's father. He lets us take it out from time to time, when he's not using it. It's pretty wild inside. I think even _you'll_ be impressed."

Veronica wasn't sure exactly what he meant by that; so she stayed silent, choosing instead to study the ship before her. Secretly, she was _very _impressed. She'd been on her share of yachts- her family had even owned one, once upon a time- but this ship was something special. Sleek and glossy, black and white, she estimated that it was well over two hundred feet long. She was itching to get on board, so she could explore the inside.

Logan watched her as she looked at the ship, still trying to wrap his mind around the sudden, indisputable fact that he was going to be spending the next three days with her. _Two of only seven passengers on board._ While it was a large ship, it was still a ship. He was certain to be seeing a lot more of her, and he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that yet. _I'd just managed to push this girl to the back of my mind, and now here she is again. No matter where I go lately, she always seems to be around. Why? And why am I still reacting to her like this?_

"I take it Meg's already on board?" Veronica asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"I don't know," Logan replied. He cleared his throat. "I, uh, just got here myself."

They both began walking forward, watching as two men dressed in identical suits exited the ship before them. As the men walked across the metal plank toward the dock, Logan turned back to Veronica. "Here, let me get someone to help you with your bags," he offered, gesturing to the them with a wave of his hand.

"I don't have any."

Logan glanced down at Veronica with a raised eyebrow and a wry smile. "So… you were just planning on wearing that outfit the whole time?"

She made a face. "Not quite. Meg brought clothes for me."

"I see."

Logan and Veronica stopped walking as the two suited men reached them. One of them addressed Logan with a polite smile. "Did you need something, Mr. Echolls?"

"No thanks, Henry. We're all set."

Veronica watched Logan slip some folded bills into the man's hand, slightly surprised that she hadn't seen where he'd produced the money from. _Well, at least he tips_, she thought grudgingly.

"Thank you, sir. All of your bags are on board. Have a safe trip."

Logan nodded at him, and the two men took off down the dock. But instead of continuing forward himself, Logan turned back to Veronica. Now that they'd almost reached the ship, he felt reluctant to board. He wasn't sure when he'd get to talk to her alone again. He felt like he should seize the opportunity to get to know her a little bit better, but he wasn't sure why he even cared. Noticing that Veronica was starting to look at him strangely, he pointed quickly to her iPod. "So, who are you listening to?"

"Someone you hate, I'm sure," she retorted.

"Try me."

Veronica raised an eyebrow at Logan, but decided to humor him. "The Horror Pops."

Logan gave her a somewhat smug smile, and Veronica didn't bother to mask her look of disbelief. "What, you've heard of them?" she asked sarcastically.

"Not only have I heard of them, I've actually seen them play a couple of times," he replied.

"A rockabilly punk band with a female lead?"

"Yes," Logan laughed. "We're talking about the same band. I live in New York. I see a lot of bands. Why is this so hard for you to believe?"

Veronica tilted her head to one side, studying him. "I don't know. I guess I just took you for more of a mainstream music kind of guy."

"Well you took me wrong, then," he said. Although Logan had been going for light and playful, his sentence somehow came out sounding serious and intense. When he saw Veronica's eyes widen slightly in surprise at his words, he took a breath and continued in a more relaxed tone. "A cousin of mine works for the Bowery Presents. He's always inviting me to shows at the Bowery, Terminal 5, Webster Hall…"

Logan trailed off. He couldn't place the look on her face, and it was making him feel off-balance. _Everything _about _this girl makes me feel off-balance._ The fact that she was going to be on a boat with him for the next three days was still driving him to distraction. He was struggling to keep his cool, but his mind was racing. He ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway, those guys are pretty good."

"They are," she agreed. "And they keep my heart rate up, so…" She paused, not sure what to say next. She was feeling a bit flustered. Veronica had a knack for sizing people up easily, and then fitting them into neat little groupings in her mind. It was an ability she'd inherited from her dad, and she'd always been a little proud of it. But Logan wasn't co-operating; he wasn't staying in the spot she'd prepared for him.

Veronica realized that she was still staring at him. She looked down quickly and busied herself with turning off her iPod, which she'd left on after her run. She unclipped it from her waistband and wrapped the headphone wires around it. When she glanced back up at Logan, he was still watching her. She was starting to find the intensity of his gaze a little unnerving. But before she could think of anything to say, he spoke up.

"We should probably get going."

She nodded, and they started walking towards the yacht again. "You guys have a shower on board, right?"

"No. We just hose each other off, prison style," he replied dryly.

Veronica grinned despite herself, as she followed him across the metal plank. _He's a witty one. I'll give him that._ "Well in that case, I hope Meg remembered to pack me a bathing suit and a bar of soap."

Logan stepped over the gap between the plank and the ship, then turned around to offer his assistance to Veronica. She hesitated briefly, but took his hand and crossed the gap quickly. Logan's fingers closed over hers tightly as he supported her weight. His hand was warm and strong. When she was safely on board the ship, she felt him resist slightly before allowing her to let go of his hand.

Veronica glanced up at him, not bothering to hide her surprise. But Logan only grinned back at her. "Well don't worry; if she forgot, I'm sure we can scare up something for you. Just remember to keep your wits about you. There's no telling what'll happen if you drop the soap." He winked at her and headed down the passageway.

Veronica rolled her eyes at him, even though his back was to her and he couldn't see. _What is it with this guy? One minute he's insulting, the next he's charming. First he acts like he's disgusted by me, now he's almost… flirting._ After a few seconds, she sighed and began to follow him. _Well, at least he's not boring. Trying to figure him out may actually make the next few days more entertaining than I'd expected._

**A/N If you're still into this, please review. Been feeling pretty unmotivated to write fic lately, to be honest. But I did have fun writing these two.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Thank you for all of the kind reviews, and for the wedding wishes. It was a magical, beautiful day! Here is a very long chapter, to celebrate :)**

**Happy belated birthday Sharon! Sorry I couldn't get it done for your real b-day, but I wouldn't be me if I was on time ;) Hope you enjoy, my friend.**

Chapter 6

Logan normally left his clothing in his bags when he traveled, only taking the time to hang up things like suits and button down shirts. When he didn't have a meeting or some other function to go to, he liked to dress casually- jeans and t-shirts, mostly. It made it easier to fly under the radar. Logan detested the media.

But he found himself dawdling in his state room after he came onboard the ship; taking the time to refold his clothes and place them in the dresser. He lined up his shoes on the floor of the closet, and organized his toiletries on the vanity top. When there was nothing left to do, he sat down on the edge of his bed and turned on the TV. After flipping aimlessly through the channels a few times, he shut it off and got up again.

He paced back and forth between the bed and the lounge area a few times, silently cursing himself for choosing the only room without windows. When they'd drawn straws for room selection, earlier in the week, Trina and Connor had lucked out with the first pick. They had, of course, jumped on the chance for the Owner's Suite. Located on the upper deck, it was enormous and extravagant, and the easy first choice. Not only did they get the steam shower and indoor whirlpool, they also had access to their own private patio and hot tub.

Logan had gotten second pick, and he'd chosen a VIP suite. There were two on board, both identical in size. The only difference was that one was located on the lower deck, and the other was on the main deck. Logan had opted for the lower deck suite, because it was the only one of the guest quarters located there. He valued his privacy, so he'd found that appealing. It had also crossed his mind that the other VIP suite was on the main deck, right next to the room Madison would be staying in. And it had become increasingly obvious that he needed to avoid any situation that might put them in close proximity.

_But __I __forgot __about __the __windows._

Logan absolutely loved the ocean. Nothing calmed him more than being out at sea; looking out at the vast blue expanse before him and remembering how insignificant his troubles were, in the grand scheme of things. He loved the sound of the waves, and the gulls, and the way the air _tasted_ differently than it did on land. Being on a ship without being able to actually _see_ the ocean around him felt like a tease.

_Sort of like being on board a ship with a beautiful girl who you can look at, but not touch._

He stopped pacing abruptly and shook the thought away. Although the engines were on, Logan could tell they hadn't left the marina yet. He knew the others would be expecting him on the upper deck as they pulled out of the harbor. It was a sort of tradition of theirs, to crack open a bottle of champagne and make a toast before their journey started. He wondered if they'd be inviting Meg and Veronica to join them.

Logan took a couple of deep breaths; then he walked over to the door and exited the room. He headed down the hall and up two flights of winding stairs, until he reached the salon on the upper deck. With all of the shades open, as they were now, the room was bright with speckled sunlight. But at some point later, they'd draw the curtains and dim the lights, transforming it into a theater. _And __then __everyone __will __argue __about __what __movie __they __want __to __watch, __until __we __all __give __up __and __decide __to __go __swimming __instead._

Trina and Madison were already up there, lounging around on the off-white leather couches and giggling about something he couldn't hear. Connor was sipping on a glass of scotch, while he watched the game on the flat screen. There were two bottles of champagne chilling on the coffee table.

Duncan entered the room from the lobby behind him. "Hey," he said, clapping Logan on the shoulder. "I just spoke to the captain, and we're supposed to take off in about fifteen minutes. Let's get ready."

The girls gestured for Duncan and him to join them on the couches. Logan saw Madison pat the seat next to her, but he pretended not to notice and took a seat next to Trina instead. She said hello, and then turned back to Madison, continuing their conversation.

"I mean, it's not like I'm surprised," Trina stated. "Look at her family. But you'd think she'd have _some_ manners. She wasn't even invited in the first place! And then she shows up, on a luxury yacht, dripping her sweat all over the place? It's positively _vulgar_."

Duncan looked up from peeling the metal wrapping off the champagne, a frown on his face. "So what? It's not like she isn't going to shower and change her clothes."

"Oh, please," Trina sniffed. She turned to Logan. "How would _you_ feel, if your sister behaved that way?"

Logan shrugged. "She wouldn't. Heather was raised better than that."

"Exactly," Trina replied with satisfaction. "It's totally disrespectful."

"She wasn't even invited," Madison chimed in, parroting what her older sister had already said. She turned to Logan with a smug smile. "Even those pretty blue eyes of hers can't make up for her rude behavior, can they?"

Logan raised an eyebrow and smiled back at her. "Oh, I'm not so sure about that," he said lightly. "They did look particularly blue today."

"I thought she looked hot," Connor spoke up. "She's got a cute little body."

Trina's mouth dropped open, as she stared at her husband indignantly. But Duncan popped the cork on the champagne, distracting all of them before she could respond. He began pouring Cristal into the crystal flutes set up on the table. "Well I'm glad Veronica's here," Duncan said. "I think she's awesome. The more the merrier, right?"

Madison and Trina exchanged eye rolls, but said nothing. They both looked a bit put out. After a few minutes, Trina glanced from Connor to Duncan and started in again. "I just don't want people assuming we're friends with her, just because she's coming along on our trip."

"I can see the headlines now," Madison giggled. "'Kane Family Goes Slumming in Neptune'."

Trina laughed loudly and turned to Logan. "'Echolls Heir Elopes with Sheriff's Daughter'."

"Headlines?" Duncan asked, looking exasperated. "Did _you_ see the press snapping pictures outside? I didn't." He shook his head at them. "You two are snobs. Meg and Veronica have been nothing but nice to us since we got here. And who cares what their father does? There's no shame in being Sheriff. I've heard nothing but great things about Keith Mars."

Logan glanced at his friend, surprised at the heat in his voice. Duncan was the most even-tempered person he knew. Logan couldn't even remember the last time he'd heard him raise his voice. Duncan seemed to be taking Trina and Madison's barbs personally.

Madison took the hint, staying silent as her brother handed her a full glass of champagne. But Trina seemed determined not to let the subject drop. Logan suspected it was due to Connor's earlier remark about Veronica. Trina was extremely jealous of her husband's affections. _And __I__'__m __sure __the __constant __rumors __of __his __infidelity __don__'__t __help._

Trina leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, refusing the glass Duncan held out to her. "And Lianne?" she asked coldly. "Have you heard 'nothing but great things' about _her_, too?"

Duncan held her gaze, but he didn't answer. Instead, he set the flute down in front of her and stood up. Then he walked over to the intercom and pressed a button.

"_How can I help you?"_

"I'd like two more champagne flutes sent up to the upper deck salon, please," Duncan replied evenly, as he continued to stare at Trina. "We have two more guests joining us. It seems my sister forgot to inform you of that."

"_Of course, sir. I'll be up right away."_

He walked back over to the couch, but didn't sit down. Then he looked from Madison to Trina. "Meg and Veronica are our _guests_," he said pointedly. "And they'll be up here any minute. For people so concerned about good manners, you'd both do well to remember your own." With that, he left the room.

Trina and Madison huffed in offense, launching immediately into a conversation about their brother's behavior. Connor chuckled and topped off his scotch. Then he turned back to the game, raising the volume on the remote to drown the girls out. Logan stayed silent, looking down into his champagne glass. He wondered exactly how he'd missed the fact that his best friend had already fallen so hard for Meg Mars.

**xxXxx**

"Um, Meg? What the hell is all of this?"

Meg finished hanging up the last of her shirts and walked over to her sister's bed. Veronica was standing at the foot of the bed in a towel, having just gotten out of the shower. They'd opted to share a room for the trip, even though there was an unoccupied room just across the hall. Meg knew Veronica was uncomfortable enough as it was; she'd thought rooming together might make things easier on her.

When she saw what Veronica was staring at, she let out an involuntary laugh. Seeing her sister's look of utter dread, she felt immediately guilty for her reaction. "I'm sorry. I told them not to."

"You _knew _about this?" Veronica asked, her mouth agape as she gestured to the open suitcase in front of her.

"Um…"

"And you let them get _away_ with it?"

"Well, Lilly made a compelling argument," Meg replied uncomfortably. Now that they were actually on the ship, she was starting to realize what a bad idea this had been. _But __it__'__s __too __late __now._

"And what, _exactly_, was her argument?" Veronica demanded.

Meg sat down on the edge of her own bed, watching as Veronica removed articles of clothing from her suitcase. Each item was skimpier than the last, and Meg began to feel even worse. She wished she'd paid more attention to what Lilly and Gia had packed. She'd thought they'd been giggling far too much for comfort, earlier; but she'd been so busy trying to remember all of Veronica's toiletries that she hadn't had time to check on them. She cleared her throat before she responded. "Well, you must have noticed the way he looks at you."

"Who?" Veronica asked distractedly, pulling a handful of thongs from the inner pocket. She started rummaging through the suitcase in earnest then, looking for anything that would give her a modicum of coverage. But there were nothing but slinky dresses and low-cut tops. _Even __my __bed__clothes __are __ridiculous._ It was all satin babydolls and revealing nighties. Stuff she'd bought just to have, but never actually _wore_. "Where are my pajama bottoms? My t-shirts?"

"I'm sorry," Meg said quietly. "Honestly, I didn't think they'd go this far."

She glanced up at her sister. Meg looked so miserable that Veronica instantly felt bad for making it such a big deal. _It__'__s __only __a __few __days. __I__'__ll __figure __it __out._ Resigned to her fate, she pulled out a red dress, a thong and a pair of thigh highs. It was totally inappropriate attire- she'd be seriously over-dressed. But she didn't have many options. _I __have __a __feeling __a __pair __of __Daisy __Dukes __and __a __cut-off __top __might __be __frowned __upon, __at __dinner._

She put one hand on her hip and rolled her eyes at her sister. "Do you at least have a sweater I can borrow?"

"Of course," Meg replied, getting up instantly and walking to her closet. "You can borrow whatever you need. In fact, I'm going to change into a dress too."

The offer of sisterly solidarity made Veronica smile. "You don't have to do that, Meg. _I_ don't care if they think I'm a big weirdo for getting all dressed up. But you…" She paused. "Hey, what did you mean before? The way who looks at me?"

"Logan," Meg replied, pulling a dark blue dress out of her closet. "Obviously."

"Oh, please," Veronica scoffed. She was about to remind her sister of his actions at the charity ball. But then she thought back to the way he'd been when she got on the ship earlier, sort of friendly and flirty, and she paused. "Okay, let's just say it's true, and he does sometimes look at me. Why torture _me_ by making me dress up like the whore of Babylon all weekend?"

Meg giggled. "Well I think the idea was to torture _him_, not you. You know, payback for what he said about you. But I see your point. And I really am sorry. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Oh, it's all right," Veronica said gamely. "At least this gives me plenty of time to think up the perfect revenge on Lilly." She looked down at the dress in her hands. _And __if __I __just __happen __to __make __Logan __eat __his __words __in __the __process?__Even __better._

**xxXxx**

Logan had just decided to give up on waiting for Duncan, and take a sip of his champagne, when his friend walked into the salon with Meg and Veronica. His involuntary intake of breath at the sight of Veronica, just as he was trying to swallow, caused him to cough so hard that everyone in the room stared at him.

Madison came over to him quickly and handed him a napkin. She sat down between him and Trina, looking at him in concern. "Are you okay, Logan?"

He nodded, eyes still tearing from the burn of champagne in his throat. Veronica flashed him an amused smile, and he looked down, annoyed with himself. _Okay,_ _not __my __smoothest __moment __ever. __But __Jesus. __Why __the __hell __is __she __wearing _that_?_

Logan glanced back up at the girls as they crossed the hardwood floor towards the lounge area. He noticed vaguely that Meg was dressed in some sort of plain blue dress; but his eyes were quickly drawn back to Veronica. She wore a sheath dress of deep red satin. It came down to her mid-thigh, hugging every curve and hollow along the way. The strapless cut showed her toned arms and shoulders to advantage, leaving inch upon inch of flawless skin exposed.

Both girls sat down tentatively on the couch just across from Logan and Madison. As Veronica took her seat, her dress rode up slightly, revealing the briefest lacy hint of a thigh-high stocking. She pulled down on her skirt absently and it was hidden again; but as she did so, the top of her dress slipped lower. And then she leaned forward, accepting the champagne flute Duncan offered her with a smile, and the dress slipped lower still.

Logan stood up abruptly. He walked over to the large dining area to the aft of the ship, staring out of the circular windows and wishing they would just take off already. He realized, suddenly, that he'd spent the last hour trying to mentally prepare himself for his next meeting with Veronica. That he'd been simultaneously both looking forward to and dreading seeing her again. _But __how __was __I __supposed __to __prepare __for _this_?_

He walked partway around the table and rested his hand on top of one of the mahogany chairs. Pretending to look out at the harbor, he glanced sideways at Veronica instead. Her hair fell in loose waves just past her shoulders, and she swept a few strands out of her face as she smiled up at Duncan. She turned and said something to her sister, and Meg and Duncan both laughed. Connor stared at the girls in obvious appreciation, while Trina and Madison silently seethed.

_Okay, __so __she __looks __good. __Is __that __any __surprise? __She __always __looks __good. __Even __in __running __clothes, __all __sweaty_, Logan grudgingly acknowledged. _Even __then, __she __looks __good. _The top of Veronica's dress was fairly modest, sweeping across her chest in a simple straight line. But when she bent down to adjust the strap on her high heel, and he caught another tantalizing glimpse of the soft curves beneath, he forced his gaze away from her. _Fine, __she __looks __better __than __good. __She __looks __amazing. __So__… __what __now?_

In the past, this part had always been simple. When Logan had found himself attracted to a girl, she'd invariably been attracted to him, as well. He'd never had to put in much effort to make something happen. She'd make her interest in him very clear, leaving no doubt that if he asked, she'd say yes. Then he'd take her out somewhere certain to impress, pay a little attention to her, and that would be that.

Somehow, this thing with Veronica didn't seem quite so cut and dry. For starters, she was a stranger. And he didn't trust strangers. The girls he hooked up with in New York were mostly society types; all people he knew _of_, even if he'd never met them personally before. Granted, none of the girls he'd been with had had as much to lose as _he_ did, if he were ever caught up in some tabloid scandal. But they all had trust funds and very over-protective Daddy's, and that was usually enough to keep them quiet.

Neptune was a much smaller city than New York. Logan got the feeling that the people here all had intimate knowledge of their neighbors' actions, no matter how great the attempt to keep things a secret. There was no Page Six here; no blind items to whet the public's palette without giving away intimate details. If something were to happen in Neptune, he didn't have that cushion of secrecy afforded to New York's elite to fall back on.

And then there was Veronica herself. She wasn't _reacting_ to him the way women normally did, and that bothered him more than he cared to admit. Even now, sitting there casually chatting with Duncan and Meg… He'd been watching her the whole time, yet she hadn't glanced in his direction once. _But __maybe __this __is __how __she __likes __to __play __it?__ Maybe __she __thinks __that __all __she __has __to __do __is __show __up __looking __stunning, __pretend __she__'__s not __interested, __and __I__'__ll __have __no __choice __but __to__ chase __after __her?_

Perhaps that was her game. He was a big cat, and she was a tasty little morsel who kept flashing her tail at him tantalizingly…and then scurrying into a hole too small for his paw to fit into. _But __if __I __keep __chasing __her, __eventually __I__'__ll __trap __her __with __no __place __to __hide. __And __then __I__'__ll __pounce._ There was something appealing about the idea. Logan had never had to work nearly so hard for a meal_. __That __might __make __her __taste __that __much __more __delicious__…_

No, it was a bad idea. No matter how attracted to her he might be, the last thing he wanted was to have his name tied to this town; to her family. _I__'__ve __spent __years __flying __under __the __radar. __What __if __something __happened __between __us, __and __she __blabbed __it __to __all __of __her __friends- __or __worse, __to __the __press? __I__'__m __not __going __to __risk __dragging __my __name, __or __Heather__'__s, __through __the __mud. __It__'__s __only __three __days. __I __can __control __myself __for __three __freaking __days._

"Logan!" Duncan called. "C'mon, man, we're leaving! Let's toast." Logan exhaled slowly and headed over to the group, taking his place next to Madison. Everyone stood up and held out their glasses. "To family and friends, and to a safe journey," Duncan said. It was what he always said. But this time, he added, "It's nice to have new friends along for the trip."

They all clinked glasses, Logan giving Veronica the briefest of smiles as he tapped his glass against hers. Polite indifference: that was the key. He'd be kind, but disinterested, when in her company. And when he wasn't, he'd just have to find other amusements to occupy his time. It shouldn't be too difficult, on a boat this large. Logan had just nodded to himself, satisfied with avoidance as his best course of action, when a steward came into the room.

"Dinner will be served in the main deck dining room, as requested. Will you be needing anything else?"

"Oh, let's have dinner here, instead," Trina suggested. "It's so pretty up here right now."

Duncan made a face at his sister, but addressed the steward. "Would it be too much trouble? If it is, we'll just come down."

"No, sir, no trouble at all. We'll have it set up momentarily."

"Thank you, we really appreciate it."

Veronica glanced at the clock on the end table. "Isn't it a little early for dinner?" she asked.

"Well, Trina and Connor are getting old," Logan replied with a smirk. "They're really into the whole early bird special thing."

"Oh, what_ever_," Trina replied, sticking out her tongue at him. She turned to Veronica, addressing her directly for the first time since she'd entered the salon. "It's really more like a late lunch. They'll cook us something else later, whenever we get hungry again."

Veronica nodded and took another sip of champagne. She remained relatively silent as the rest of them drank and talked, walking around the room and looking at everything with interest. Trina went back to ignoring her, chatting instead with Madison about a role that Connor was up for. Duncan and Meg had wandered off into the corner, where a smaller table and chairs were set up.

Logan continued to watch her, deciding that there was no harm in that. But when she headed over to the dining area, he found that he was walking over to join her before he'd even made the conscious decision to move. She was standing at the circular windows when he met up with her, staring out at the disappearing city behind them.

"They open, if you were wondering," he told her. "The windows. See?" He gestured to the center panel, which was on a sliding track.

"Very cool," she replied. "Well, you were right. This ship is pretty damn impressive."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. If you want, I'll give you a tour after dinner." The words had escaped his lips before he knew it. _What __the __hell __am __I __doing?_

"Uh, sure," Veronica agreed. "That sounds good."

They were both distracted by the sound of metal trays rolling across the floor. Several staff members were heading over to them. As the others came to join them, Logan pulled out a chair for her. "I hope you like to eat. The food is pretty amazing." He glanced down at her dress pointedly. "I just wish I'd been informed that it was black tie."

"Well aren't you embarrassed, then?" she joked, gesturing to his jeans and t-shirt.

"Mortified," he grinned. Veronica took her seat, and he pushed it in for her and took the seat next to hers.

Meg, who had overheard their exchange, came to Veronica's defense. "She doesn't normally dress like this. There was a little mix-up with Veronica's suitcase. See, our younger sister decided to pull this prank, and-"

"I'm sure they don't want to hear about our crazy family," Veronica interrupted her.

Trina suppressed a laugh. Duncan shot her a look, and then turned back to Meg. "Was it Lilly?" he guessed.

"She seems like a handful," Madison added sweetly.

"More than a handful," Connor said appreciatively, making a lewd gesture with his hands. Trina glared at him, looking as though she were about three seconds away from stabbing him with her cocktail fork.

Duncan looked at his brother-in-law sharply, and Logan kicked him under the table. Connor was seated to his left; Logan could see his most recent glass of scotch was now empty, as was his champagne flute. It was clear Connor had a healthy buzz, but that was no excuse. "She's fifteen, dude," Logan muttered. "You're twenty-five. Stop being a fucking pervert."

"She doesn't _look_ fifteen," he replied, not bothering to keep his voice down. He glanced at Logan. "Besides. Like _you__'__re_ one to talk."

Before Logan could retort, Duncan spoke up. "Dude," he said, looking pointedly between Connor and Logan. "Enough."

"She _is_ mature for her age," Meg said diplomatically. "Lots of people think she's older than fifteen."

"Maybe she is," Connor suggested. "Maybe she lies about it." He looked at Trina. "Lots of chicks lie about their age."

Meg looked at him in confusion. "But… she's our sister," she reminded him slowly. "I remember when she was born."

He shrugged, looking bored, and dipped a shrimp into his cocktail sauce. Trina continued to glare at him, her face red and her eyes flashing. Connor ignored her, biting down on his shrimp with perfect white teeth and trying to see the score of the game.

"They're an even more dysfunctional family than we are," Veronica muttered quietly to Meg, reaching for her champagne.

Logan, the only other one who'd heard her, grinned and clinked his glass against hers. "Cheers," he said. "Welcome aboard."

**xxXxx**

Veronica had found dinner unexpectedly enjoyable, no matter what the others may have thought about it. The dynamic between Connor and Trina was incredibly entertaining to watch, as was the way Madison hung on Logan's every word and action. With Duncan and Meg off in their own little world again, and Madison intent on ignoring her, Veronica had been left with Logan as the only valid option for conversation. To her surprise, he'd been a willing participant; and she'd found him both knowledgeable and well-spoken on a variety of topics.

The group had ordered up several more bottles of champagne throughout dinner, and Logan had never allowed her glass to get empty. It was hard to gauge how much she'd had to drink, but Veronica felt wonderful- light and airy, almost giddy. She didn't realize just how buzzed she was until she tried to stand up and almost fell into Logan's lap. He steadied her, placing a strong hand on her waist as he stood up himself.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said ruefully. "But I think maybe I should take it easy on the champagne."

Logan nodded toward the glass doors behind them. "You want to step outside and get some fresh air?"

Veronica agreed that was a good idea, but she was surprised when he followed her outside. She was even more surprised when he offered his arm to her, but she took it gratefully. _I__'__m __not __sure __how __far __I__'__ll __get __on __my __own, __with __these __ridiculous __heels __on. _She was still really aggravated with Lilly, for the stunt she'd pulled. But Veronica had to admit, her sisters had been right. _He __does __look __at __me._

She'd noticed it as soon as she'd walked into the salon, but she'd really decided to test the theory at dinner. Twice, she'd leaned across the table while facing his direction, just to see if his eyes would drop down for a peek. They had. _But __so __what? __He__'__s __a __guy. __And __he__'__s __stuck __on __this __boat __with __no __other __form __of __amusement. __He__'__s __probably __just __bored._

They walked over to one of the couches on the patio. Veronica was about to take a seat when Logan tugged on her arm. "You want to see something wild?" he asked.

"Uh, sure," she agreed uncertainly. She allowed him to lead her to the large stainless steel railing at the end of the deck, and then she looked down. "Wow."

On the deck below them was a swimming pool, glowing orange with the reflection of the setting sun. It took up a large portion of the exposed teakwood deck, leaving enough room for a half dozen or so lounge chairs. Veronica noticed that it was an Infinity pool, the back edge of it appearing to drop off into the ocean beneath them.

"Impressed yet?" Logan asked, glancing down at her with a grin.

"Maybe slightly," she replied, fighting a smile as she looked back up at him. He looked absurdly good, better than anyone had a right to look, and she found herself unable to turn away. His hair was slightly mussed from the wind, sunlight tinting the edges copper. His eyes were warm, liquid amber, and they were filled with amusement as they met her own.

Logan twisted his body towards her, propping one foot up on the railing. "Well maybe you'll be more impressed to learn that it doubles as a dance floor. Or a helicopter landing pad, depending on your preference."

"Get out of here," she laughed.

"I'm serious," he insisted. He nodded at the pool, finally breaking eye contact, and pointed down. "The whole floor of the pool lifts up, and the water drains into a storage tank below. You can fill it with salt water or fresh water, but Ma- the guy who owns the yacht likes fresh water."

Veronica tilted her head at him, trying to determine if he was serious or not. When she decided he was, she narrowed her eyes. "Whose yacht is this, anyway?"

Logan smirked down at her. "That would be telling."

"I didn't realize it was a secret," she returned, raising an eyebrow.

Logan shrugged, looking out at the ocean. "He likes his privacy. And he knows most people can't keep their mouths shut." His eyes darted to hers for a moment. "Very few people realize the value of staying silent."

Veronica turned back to the railing, watching the shimmery orange rays playing on the waves. She realized, suddenly, how good it felt to get out of Neptune. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

He looked at her curiously. "So would you consider yourself someone capable of keeping a secret, then?"

She glanced up at him, confused by the intensity in his voice. "I won't tell anyone whose yacht this is, if that's what you're asking. But you don't need to tell me. I wouldn't want you to betray any confidences. I'll figure it out for myself."

Logan laughed. "And how, exactly, do you plan on doing that?"

Veronica just gave him a coy smile, opting to change the subject. "So, Connor is, um-"

"An idiot?" Logan suggested.

"Well, just- not what I'd expected."

Logan sighed. "You used to have a crush on him, didn't you?"

"What? No," Veronica denied quickly. She bit her lip and glanced up at Logan. "Well okay, maybe. But in my defense, he looked _really_ good in _Raging __Heat_."

He rolled his eyes and leaned his back to the railing, glancing through the window at Connor. "So that's your type, huh?"

Veronica laughed, turning to face the inside of the yacht and pointing at Connor. "_That_? No, that is most definitely _not_ my type."

Logan propped his left elbow against the railing and rested his chin on his hand. He turned his head to face her. "So what is your type, then?"

She looked over at him, a silly retort ready on her lips. But his eyes were focused and intent, no hint of amusement in them now, and her smile faded as she stared at him. She realized, suddenly, how close they were standing to each other. It was strange, but he almost looked as though he were about to kiss her. Even stranger, the idea of kissing him back didn't seem so terrible.

"Veronica?"

She spun around quickly to see Duncan peeking his head out of the curved glass doors. "Yeah?"

"Meg's asking for you. She doesn't feel well."

Veronica glanced once at Logan, who was standing up straight now and facing Duncan. "I better go check on her."

"Yeah, of course," he replied.

She hurried back inside, and headed right over to Meg. Her sister was sitting on one of the leather chairs in the corner, looking rather pale and shaky. Trina and Madison were hovering around her, but they walked away as Veronica came over. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern.

Meg managed a wobbly smile. "I think I overdid it on the champagne. I want to go lie down for a minute, but I didn't want Duncan to think…you know."

"That it was all some ploy to try and get him into your bed?" Veronica teased. She offered her hand to Meg, pulling her up off the chair and walking her out of the salon.

"Well, yeah," Meg replied.

"Of the three guys on this ship, I think he's the one you have to worry about the _least_," Veronica muttered.

Her sister glanced over at her as they started to descend the steps toward the main deck. "You and Logan seemed pretty friendly at dinner," she said lightly. "What was that about?"

_Yeah, __Veronica, __what _was _that __about?_ Now that she was back on the ship, in regular lighting, the moment she'd shared with Logan seemed less… significant. Her champagne haze was starting to wear off, and she wondered what the hell she'd been thinking. Logan may be more interesting than she'd given him credit for, but she still knew his type. He was like every other guy she'd grown up with… _Just __with __a __larger __bank __account __and __a __more __famous __last __name._

She supposed she should be flattered by his attentions. Here was someone who could get pretty much any woman he desired with a crook of his finger. Someone who could afford to ignore a girl like Madison; a girl most men would fall all over themselves trying to please.

_Logan __went __from __ridiculing __me __in __public __to __acting __like __he__'__s __interested __in __me, __practically __overnight. __There__'__s __no __mystery __why._ _It __was __just __like __I __suspected. __He__'__s __stuck __on __this __ship, __bored __and __restless. __And __I__'__m __the __shiny __new __toy._ As Veronica rounded the corner to the room, she caught her reflection in a nearby mirror. _I__'__m __sure __this __dress __isn__'__t __helping __the __matter. __And __being __that __I __barely __know __him, __it__'__s __probably __not __the __best __idea __to __bait __him __by __prancing __around __in __outfits __like __this. __I __just __wish __I __had __an __alternative. __Because __hooking __up __with __him __isn__'__t __an __option._

Veronica could admit that he was an attractive guy- she wasn't blind. She could even admit that it had been a little fun, flirting with him. But she wasn't about to fall for his charms. _I __don__'__t __even _like _him._ _I__'__m __certainly __not __going __to _do _anything __with __him. __No,_ she decided firmly. _I__'__m __not __about __to __be __another __notch __on __Logan __Echolls __belt; __something __he __can __brag __about __to __his __friends. __I __won__'__t __be __playing __the __role __of __the __California __blonde __in __his __Spring __Break __hookup __story. __Because __that__'__s __all __it __would __be; __and __I __refuse __to __give __him __the __satisfaction._

"Nothing," Veronica finally replied, as she pushed open the door to their room. "Just making conversation."

**xxXxx**

After Veronica and Meg left the salon, Duncan stepped back out onto the patio. Logan was standing at the railing by himself, looking out at the water. He turned around when he heard his friend approach, and Duncan walked over to join him. Logan didn't say anything to him; he just turned back to the water and stared out to sea. After a moment, Duncan glanced back at him. Logan seemed moody and distracted.

"Everything okay, man?"

"Fine," Logan replied shortly. "How's Meg?"

"I don't know… She looked really pale. I'm starting to wonder if we should just head back to Neptune."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Oh, c'mon man. She can't be _that_ sick. She was totally fine an hour ago. She probably just had too much to drink."

"Maybe," Duncan replied uncertainly. "Do you think I should go down to her room and check on her?"

"Dude. You saw her, like, three seconds ago."

"I know, I just… I don't know. I just hope she's okay."

Logan shot his friend a look, but didn't reply right away. Instead, he drummed his fingers against the railing and watched the sun sink lower to the ground. After a moment, though, he turned back to Duncan. "You really think it was all a prank? That thing with the dresses?"

"What?" Duncan laughed. "Of course. Why else would they be dressed like that?"

"C'mon, man, you have to ask?"

"Oh, like it's some big conspiracy or something?" Duncan said sarcastically. "They pretend their sister played a joke on them, so that they have to wear sexy clothes all weekend?" He shook his head and laughed again. "You're insane, do you know that?"

Logan faced Duncan fully, turning a pointed finger to himself. "I'm not insane. I'm a realist." He glanced from Duncan to the salon, and then back. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Trina brought up a good point, earlier."

"That M&M's are yummy?" Duncan guessed with a grin.

Logan shook his head, mouth drawn into a thin line as he regarded his friend. "Look, dude. I know you like Meg, and she seems like a really sweet girl. But her family is a mess. I'm just not sure that you're thinking straight about this."

"About what?" Duncan asked. "About liking her?"

"Yes," he answered sharply. "If you were ever to get seriously involved with her, you'd be connected to that family- publically. You'd be going to functions with them and spending holidays together. Can you seriously picture that? Dining out at Le Bernardin with Lianne and Keith Mars? Vacationing with them in St. Barts?"

"Logan," Duncan replied calmly. "No one is proposing. All right? We're just getting to know each other."

Logan turned away from him again. Duncan watched him for a few seconds, surprised that his friend was getting so agitated about this. But it was clear that he was taking it very seriously. When Logan turned back to him, he nodded his head. "All right. Well, if her mother being the town drunk doesn't matter to you, maybe you should pay more attention to the gossip about their money troubles."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning those two girls in there are smart enough to know that their family is sinking in debt," Logan answered plainly, pointing at the salon. "And if you float your little Kane life raft too close, you better believe they'll push you the fuck off and take that raft over for themselves."

Duncan crossed his arms over his chest, beginning to get angry. "Impressive boating analogy, Logan. Where could you have _possibly_ come up with the idea for _that_?"

The two young men stared at each other for several seconds. And then Logan exhaled, his expression softening. "Dude, I'm just trying to look out for you. Okay? You're just… you're too quick to trust people."

Duncan sighed, all of the anger draining out of him. "Logan, man, I know people have screwed you over in the past. Even people in your own family. And that sucks. But not everyone is out to get you, all of the time. Not everything is a game, or some big, like, conspiracy. You've got to chill out and learn how to trust people, sometimes."

"Whatever you say, man," Logan muttered, shaking his head and looking back out at the ocean.

"And for the record," Duncan continued, "I think you're wrong about Meg. I think you're wrong about _both_ of them."

Logan glanced back over at him, his surprise quickly overshadowed by doubt. "Just keep your eyes open," he suggested lightly. But as Duncan began to walk back towards the salon, he added, "And don't keep too much cash in your wallet."

**xxXxx**

By the time Logan left the patio to rejoin the party, he'd shaken himself out of his mood. Mostly. He wasn't sure where it had all come from; but he _was_ sure that he only had himself to blame. He'd had such a nice time with Veronica at dinner that he'd had to adjust his planned course of action. Avoidance wasn't going to work- she was far too interesting to ignore.

The new plan had become harmless flirting. He'd kept their conversation light and entertaining, finding her surprisingly well-versed on every topic that came to mind. _But __the __first __chance __I __had, __I __got __her __alone. __And __as __soon __as __I __got __her __alone, __all __I __wanted __to __do __was __kiss __her__…_

Veronica had looked gorgeous in the setting sun… Blue eyes wide and focused entirely on him; hair in a wild golden mane, lips curved in constant amusement. She looked so beautiful that he wondered how he'd ever thought her otherwise. _If __Duncan __hadn__'__t __come __out __right __then, __I __would __have __kissed __her. __And __then __what? _That was the part he hadn't been able to figure out- what would have happened next. _So __maybe __I __took __some __of __my __own __issues __out __on __Duncan. __But __at __least, __after __that __conversation, __I __remembered __why __pursuing __her __would __be __a __very, __very __bad __idea._

Logan took a deep breath as he walked across the room, glancing around briefly to see if Veronica had come back up to the salon yet. She hadn't. He sat down next to Connor at the card table. _So __what__'__s __the __new __plan? __Avoidance __didn__'__t __work. __Flirting __didn__'__t __work. __What __else __can __I __do? __Jump __ship?_

Before he had time to formulate a plan, Veronica walked into the room. She was wearing a modest black sweater over her dress now, but she still looked incredible. He heard Connor intake his breath at the sight of her, and he glanced over at him. Connor was looking her up and down, doing nothing to try and hide his obvious interest. Logan found himself getting strangely annoyed. "Aren't you supposed to be married?" he muttered.

"So?" Connor snorted. "I'm married, I'm not _dead_." He sighed. "Jesus, look at that ass."

Logan flashed him a look of disgust, knowing that Connor was too busy ogling Veronica to notice. But he kept his voice even as he replied, "Oh I assure you, I already have."

"So what's the story? Are you gonna hit that?" Connor prompted, nudging him in the side with his elbow.

Logan glanced at Veronica quickly, then looked down at the table and began shuffling a deck of cards. "No," he said firmly. "I'm not."

"You're nuts," Connor replied, shaking his head. He sighed again. "Man, if Trina wasn't here, I'd be all _over_ that."

Logan didn't respond, but he felt another surge of annoyance. He glanced back at Veronica. She was sitting on the couch chatting with Duncan, now, completely oblivious to Connor's lecherous intentions. _I __might __have __to __keep __an __eye __on __this __situation, __over __the __next __couple __of __days. __Connor __isn__'__t __exactly __known __for __his __discretion. __And __the __last __thing __Jake __needs __to __worry __about __is __covering __up __yet _another _scandal __for __his __idiot __son-in-law._

Refusing to consider any other reason why he'd be feeling so protective, Logan focused his attention back to shuffling cards. Everyone seemed much more subdued than they had at dinner, and it was far quieter than he preferred in his current mood. But he didn't feel like addressing the others, at the moment. Both Madison and Veronica were otherwise engaged, and he didn't want either girl to think he was vying for her attention.

To his relief, Trina eventually spoke up. "I'm bored. What do you guys feel like doing now?"

"We could watch a movie?" Madison suggested.

"_No_," the others replied in unison. Veronica looked at them in surprise, unsure why they were all so adamantly opposed to the idea.

Madison looked rather put out by the universal rejection of her proposal. "Fine," she huffed. "Does anyone have a better idea?"

"How about poker?" Connor spoke up.

The general consensus was that it was a good idea. Trina and Madison moved to join Connor and Logan at the card table. Duncan stayed seated on the couch, turning to back to Veronica with a smile. "What do you say?" he asked. "You in?"

Veronica didn't respond right away, instead casting a look towards the people gathered around the card table. She could see large quantities of cash being produced out of their wallets, and she guessed it was going to be a high stakes game. _Damn, __I __barely __have __any __cash __on __me. __What __a __wasted __opportunity._ She glanced at Duncan, considering briefly that he'd probably front her the buy-in, if she asked. _But __if __I __do __that, __I__'__m __sure __to __get __those _looks _again. __And __I__'__m __starting __to __get __a __bit __tired __of f__eeling __like __a __charity __case._

It really was a shame. She was sure she could take them all, and there would have been an undeniable satisfaction in that. Weevil had taught her to play years ago, and now she cleaned him out on a regular basis. Sometimes, when they were bored, they'd travel out of town for a game among people who didn't know them. Veronica played the part of the uncertain, wildly lucky amateur to perfection; Weevil slid easily into the role of disgruntled boyfriend, secretly folding every decent hand he pulled. Then she and Weevil would split the winnings, laughing all the way home.

"No thanks," she told Duncan. "I'm not really much of a poker player."

He frowned. "So what are you going to do, then, while we play?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure I can find something to do," Veronica assured him. "I just wish I'd remembered to tell Meg to pack the book I'm reading."

"There's a library down on the main deck," Duncan informed her. "Do you want me to show you?"

"Yeah, thanks," Veronica replied with a smile. They stood up, and she followed him out of the room. She felt incredibly grateful to him for his kind attempts to include her in their group. _He__'__s __the __only __one __who__'__s __even __trying._ Trina had barely spoken to her since she'd gotten on board, and Madison had only addressed her once- just after she'd come back up from her room, to ask her how Meg was feeling. Connor looked at her, often enough, but never attempted conversation. _And __as __for __Logan__…_

He'd barely looked up when she'd entered the salon; and when he had, he'd made no greeting or sign that he was happy to see her. The couple of times she'd caught him glancing her way since, he'd looked more annoyed than anything else. Logan seemed to have reverted back to the sullen, aloof young man she'd first met at the Charity Ball. Veronica supposed she shouldn't be surprised by his sudden change in attitude_. __If __anything, __I __should __be __relieved. __This__'__ll __make __things __a __lot __easier._

But she did feel a bit lonely, without Meg. Her sister had assured her that she was just feeling queasy from too much alcohol, and she'd insisted that she'd be fine once she got some rest. When Veronica had eagerly offered to stay in the room with her, Meg had laughed- instructing her to stop being anti-social and to go hang out with the others.

Veronica didn't feel quite like herself, though. Her champagne buzz had waned into a mild headache, and part of her was happy to avoid the card game entirely. The thought of curling up with a good book and ignoring the others was becoming more and more appealing.

Duncan led her into the library. She chose a copy of _The __Strange __Case __of __Dr._ _Jekyll __and __Mr. __Hyde_, smirking at the irony, and then walked back with Duncan to the upper deck salon. Veronica took a seat on one of the couches, flipping on the lamp next to her, while Duncan situated himself between Connor and Madison at the card table. Veronica had only read two paragraphs when she was interrupted.

"What are you doing over there, Veronica? Are you _reading_?" Trina asked in surprise.

"Yes," she replied, not looking up from her book.

"Veronica doesn't like poker," Duncan explained.

"Don't know how to play, huh?" Trina guessed, flashing her a look of pity. "It _is_ a pretty complicated game. Definitely not for everyone."

Veronica immediately regretted telling Duncan that particular white lie. But before she could come to her own defense, Madison spoke up. "Meg tells me Veronica is quite the little schoolgirl. Top of her class and everything." Somehow, out of her mouth, it came out sounding more like an insult than a compliment. "I'm sure she needs to stay in and study, most of the time, in order to keep her grades up." She looked at Logan through her lashes. "Personally, _I_ prefer the nightlife."

Veronica smiled, but said nothing, attempting to return to her book.

Madison, though, wasn't satisfied with that response. "Is something funny?"

Veronica looked up from her book and addressed Madison. "I was just thinking that I've never been accused of being a bookworm, before. I like to read, but there are plenty of other things that occupy my time. I try to balance studying with having fun."

"Well _I_ just like to have fun," Madison retorted, smiling sweetly. "Especially when I'm on vacation."

"Speaking of vacation," Logan spoke up, "I could use a drink." He threw his cards down and stood up, walking over to the bar and producing a bottle of wine. "Who wants one?"

Everyone except for Connor, who preferred scotch, agreed; Duncan folded his hand and walked over to the bar to help Logan pour. Realizing Veronica had stayed silent, Logan turned to her. "Will you be able to concentrate on your book, if you have a glass of wine?"

"Uh, sure," she replied, slightly taken aback that he was addressing her so politely.

He held up a bottle of Pinot Noir and a bottle of Chardonnay. "Red or white?"

Veronica squinted her eyes, trying to read the label. "What kind of red is that?"

"Pinot Noir," Logan replied, smoothly hiding his own surprise at her asking.

"That sounds good. Thanks."

Logan poured a glass and handed it to her, setting the rest of the bottle down on the end table. "Have as much as you'd like," he offered, gesturing to the bottle. "Enjoy."

Before she'd even taken a sip, Madison chimed in yet again. "We should probably warn you ahead of time- it's Logan's family label." She smirked at Trina, as she accepted her own glass of Chardonnay from Duncan. "I wouldn't want you to put your foot in your mouth."

Veronica glanced over at the bottle of wine next to her. The white label proclaimed it as "Pemberley Woods". The graphic in the background displayed a stunning mountain cliff and underlying valley, trees in the full height of autumn color. _I __didn__'__t __know __the __Echolls __family __owned __a __vineyard__… __I __wonder __where __it __is?_

Suddenly aware that they were all focused on her, she swirled the wine around in her glass a few times and took a sip. "Delicious," she pronounced honestly.

Logan smiled to himself, pleased that she liked it but not sure why he cared. "Thank you." Their eyes met for the briefest moment, and then he busied himself with opening up another bottle.

"Is Pemberley Woods a real place?" she asked.

"Logan claims it is, but we've never actually seen it," Duncan replied with a grin. "I'm beginning to suspect it's an excuse he uses when he wants to get away from us all."

"You really are too private about it, Logan," Madison scolded him. "You know you can trust _us_ to keep it a secret."

"I'm with Duncan," Trina said. "I don't think it exists."

"Of course it does," Madison disagreed. "He takes Heather there all of the time. And she wouldn't lie."

Veronica, who had given up all pretense of reading at this point, listened with great curiosity. Logan had remained silent throughout the discussion, only smiling at the claims that Pemberley Woods was a figment of his imagination. His secrecy about the place was confusing to Veronica; it didn't fit at all with the boastful, self-important picture he'd painted of himself so far. _And __who __is __Heather?_

She didn't get her answer. Logan deftly turned the topic of conversation towards an upcoming party in New York, and Madison and Trina spoke of it with enthusiasm. He and Duncan assumed their seats back at the table, and Veronica went back to reading her book. She continued to listen to their conversation with half an ear, but they mostly spoke of people and places she wasn't familiar with.

Madison and Duncan got knocked out of the game early, but stayed seated at the table. Although Logan was the chip leader, he quickly grew bored of the game. Trina and Connor were both far too easy to read; there was no challenge in it. So he purposely went all in with a pair of jacks when he was sure Connor had kings, resigned to the fact that he'd have to listen to him brag about the bad beat for the rest of the night. It was worth it to get out of the game.

He stood up and walked over to the bar, topping off his wine glass and glancing over at Veronica. She appeared to be absorbed in her book, so he decided not to attempt conversation. Instead, he went looking for a pen and some paper. Finding both, he settled himself in the seat across from Veronica and began to write. He'd only written three sentences when Madison sat down next to him.

"That was a fun game, wasn't it?"

Logan nodded.

Madison took a sip of her drink. "I love this wine. It's the only kind I like to drink anymore. You've totally spoiled all of us."

Logan smiled, but stayed silent.

"Do you want another glass?" she asked.

"Thanks, I have a full one," he replied, gesturing to the glass in plain sight on the coffee table.

Madison laughed. "I didn't even notice. So what are you doing?" she asked.

"Writing a letter."

"By _hand_?" Madison laughed. When Logan didn't respond, she continued. "Who are you writing to?"

"Heather."

"Oh, tell her I said hello! I miss her so much. I feel like I haven't seen her in ages."

"I'll tell her," Logan promised.

"I probably won't even recognize her when she comes home for the summer," Madison said.

"It's only been a few months," Logan reminded her, amused. "She looks exactly the same. Still petite." He nodded to the blonde seated across from him. "Like Veronica."

Madison frowned at the comparison, but continued doggedly. "And why are you writing her by hand?" she pressed.

Logan sighed, putting down his pen. "We always write each other by hand. She likes to get letters in the mail. She says it's something fun for her to look forward to, while she's at school."

Veronica laid her book down, too interested to pretend to be reading any longer. "Who is Heather?" she asked, unable to resist. "Is that your girlfriend?"

"No," Madison laughed, before Logan could reply. "It's his sister."

Veronica attempted to hide her surprise. She supposed she'd known that Aaron and Lynn Echolls had a daughter, but she couldn't remember ever hearing anything about her in the press. _She __must __be __younger; __maybe __too __young __to __come __on __this __trip __with __them. _She found it a bit odd that Logan was writing her a letter, instead of an email. _But __I __guess __it __is __kind __of __sweet._

"Does she not go to school in New York, with you?"

"No," Logan replied, frowning slightly. "She goes to an all girl's boarding school in New Hampshire."

Veronica couldn't help but pick up on the change in his tone, and it led to even more questions. _Maybe __he __just __doesn__'__t __like __being __asked __about __his __family __by __someone __who__'__s __practically __a __stranger,_ she guessed. _I __can __respect __that._ She had, however, done a Google search on her phone just after she'd boarded the ship, wanting to get a little bit more information about the people she'd be spending the next few days with.

From what she'd gathered, Duncan, Logan and Madison all attended the prestigious Claremont Preparatory School in Manhattan. Duncan and Madison's names appeared frequently in various society articles, but Logan's came up far less. Aside from a handful of photos of him at movie premieres (some gorgeous girl invariably at his side), she'd found very little. And her search had revealed nothing about a "Heather". It seemed unusual to Veronica. It also seemed strange that she went to a different school. But she was prepared to let the matter drop.

Madison, however, smiled broadly and placed her hand on Logan's arm. "Logan here decided last year that an education at the best school in Manhattan just wasn't good enough for his sister."

"It was the _kind_ of education she was getting that concerned me," Logan muttered.

Madison shot him a confused look; but before she could respond, Duncan came over and sat down on the couch next to Veronica. "What are we talking about?" he asked.

"Veronica thought Heather was Logan's girlfriend," Madison smirked.

"Girlfriend?" Duncan laughed. He rolled his eyes at his friend and turned to Veronica. "Logan has yet to meet a girl worthy enough of holding _that_ title. For more than a couple of weeks, anyway."

"I told you already," Logan replied, looking at Duncan pointedly. "I just have higher standards than most people."

"And what kind of woman would meet your requirements?" Veronica questioned, not attempting to hide her amusement.

Again, Madison spoke up before Logan could answer. He shot her an annoyed look, but let her speak. "Well, she has to be beautiful, of course. Fashionable, well-mannered. She has to be educated, interesting… able to talk about a number of different subjects." Madison shot a look at Veronica. "And she has to come from a good family."

"Speak at least four languages, be proficient at both boxing _and_ ballet, and play a _mean_ guitar," Duncan joked.

"Sounds good so far," Logan conceded with a grin.

Madison frowned. "I don't think any of that sounds so crazy. I can think of lots of girls who fall into that category." She rolled her eyes at her brother. "Except for the boxing thing."

Veronica hid a smile, taking a sip of her wine as she waited for Logan's response.

"Can you?" Logan asked. "I'm drawing a blank."

"How about, like, every single girl we go to school with?" Madison retorted, sounding slightly irritated.

"Hardly," Logan snorted.

"You said 'sounds good so far'", Veronica spoke up. "I'm just wondering, what _else_ does this worthy woman need to possess?" She took another sip of her wine and set it down. "The power of flight?" she joked. "Invisibility? Super healing?"

Logan laughed. "No. She doesn't need to be one of the X-Men."

"Well what, then?" Veronica baited him. "Why don't you tell us more about this perfect woman of yours?"

He shrugged. "Well, for starters, she shouldn't be perfect. Perfect is boring, and I'd want her to keep me guessing. But she should be intelligent, definitely. Not just well-educated, but someone with common sense, too." Logan sat up a little straighter, warming to the topic. "She'd need to be fun, you know, into trying new things. And witty, with a good sense of humor. But also serious, sometimes. Ambitious."

"Wow," Veronica said, raising an eyebrow. "Tall order."

"Not so very tall," he answered.

Veronica stared at him, wondering what he meant by that, and he held her gaze. He was looking at her with that odd combination of intensity and amusement again, and she started to feel a bit off kilter. "And do you think yourself capable of attracting this elusive creature?" she asked with a smile. She was attempting to keep things light, but her words had come out sounding more like a challenge than an innocent query.

"Absolutely," he replied, lips curving up in an answering smile.

"So I suppose, then," Veronica said, "on a scale of one to ten, you consider yourself a ten?"

"You think I'm a ten?" he teased. "Why, thank you."

"No, I think _you _think you're a ten," she corrected.

Madison's eyes had been going back and forth during their conversation, as though she were watching a tennis match. She was getting more and more alarmed at the strange, flirtatious familiarity they were both displaying. Had the two of them spent more time together than she'd realized, since they had arrived in Neptune? What game was Logan playing, here?

Although she didn't understand subtext, she knew what it meant when men and women stared at each other like _that_. And that was unacceptable. So by the time they'd reached this point in the conversation, she felt an overwhelming need to put a stop to whatever it was she was witnessing. She stood up abruptly, and Logan and Veronica both looked up at her. "Who else is getting hungry?" she asked.

"I could eat," Duncan replied. "What are you guys in the mood for?"

Trina and Connor were called into the discussion, and they were all soon arguing over options. Veronica closed her book and laid it aside. There was no way she'd be able to concentrate now. When Duncan asked her to weigh in on the conversation, she declined. "I'm actually not hungry at all," she told him. "I think I'll go check on Meg. Don't wait for me, I probably won't be joining you for dinner."

"Are you sure? Well please let me know if Meg is feeling worse, or if she needs anything," he requested. "There are intercoms in every room. If you need anything, just hit 7 and a steward will answer. Don't hesitate to ask them for anything you guys need. Really, anything at all."

Veronica smiled, pleased at the concern he was showing for Meg. It was amazing to her that he came from the same family as Trina and Madison, who were currently having a heated debate about whether calamari was squid or octopus . _But __I __suppose __we__'__re __all __just __as__ different __from __one __another, __in __my __family._ She glanced at Logan as she stood up. He'd gone back to writing his letter. Not wanting to bother him, and fairly certain he wouldn't care anyway, she slipped silently out of the room.

Madison watched her leave, hoping she wouldn't come back for the rest of the night. After they'd finally settled on what to order for dinner, she reclaimed her seat next to Logan. He looked up from his letter, glancing around him in confusion. "Where did…everyone go?"

"We're all here," she assured him, smiling sweetly. "Oh, except for Veronica. But she doesn't really count, does she?" When Logan didn't make the expected sarcastic reply, she grew more concerned. "So all of that talk, before, about your perfect woman… Do you think she's asking because she wants to know how to reel you in? Or is it because she doesn't know how a _true _lady is supposed to act?"

To Madison's surprise, Logan didn't respond at all, other than to fold up his letter and stand up. "You know," he finally said, "I forgot. There's one more trait I look for in a woman."

"What's that?" she asked eagerly.

"Integrity," he replied. "I hate mind games." And with that, he walked out of the room.

**xxXxx**

Although entirely unaware of the other's actions, Logan and Veronica ended up spending the greater part of their nights in a very similar manner. The former stayed in his room with only a bottle of wine to keep him company, choosing to watch _Titanic_- partially for the irony of it, and partially because he secretly liked the movie. The latter opted for a _Mad __Men_ marathon on AMC, skipping the wine. Neither one of them went up for dinner.

At around eleven, Veronica realized that she was starving. She glanced over at Meg to make sure she was still okay. Her sister was sleeping a bit fitfully; but Veronica thought she'd be okay if she left for a little bit. She'd briefly considered the intercom, remembering Duncan's instructions, but she'd decided eleven was too late to bother the staff. _They __already __prepared __two __dinners __today; __I__'__m __not __going __to__ ask __them__ to __make __a __third._ Slipping a white terrycloth robe over the tiny, practically shear black nightie she'd been forced to wear to bed, she ventured from the room.

About an hour later, Logan stood in front of the intercom in his room in just his boxers, a scowl on his face. _What __the __hell __number __am __I __supposed __to __push, __again?_ He glared at the device. _Stupid __thing __is __supposed __to __make __things __more __convenient, __but __there __are __no __freaking __instructions __on __it._ He thought about pushing every button until he found the right one; but even in his less-than-sober state, he knew that wasn't the best idea.

Sighing heavily, he shrugged into a t-shirt, slipped on a pair of flip-flops, and left his room. His intention was to head back up to the upper deck to see what kind of snacks they had up there. But when he reached the lobby and hit the button for the elevator, one look at his reflection in the mirror convinced him to abandon that plan. There were certain people who he'd rather not risk running into, in his current disheveled- and slightly inebriated- state.

Remembering that the galley was somewhere on the lower deck , he headed down the passageway. As he approached the end of the hall, he heard raucous laughter and cheering coming from inside. Logan slowed down as he reached the open door, glancing inside curiously.

Veronica was standing at the island in a white robe, with four men who looked to be in their early twenties. All of them wore the blue and white uniforms identifying them as staff. Three of the guys stood in a straight line with Veronica, while the fourth one poured Bailey's into shot glasses lined up in front of them. "And now the whipped cream on top," Veronica instructed.

"What is this drink called?" asked the man to her right, in a heavy French accent.

Veronica flashed him a grin. "You don't want to know."

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, although he continued to smile at her. "I think, maybe, I do not want to do this drink."

"No, no, it's good. I promise!" she exclaimed. "It tastes like dessert. Besides," she added. "You guys lost that round, and this is your punishment. At least I didn't pick Goldschläger, like Martin over there."

"Goldschläger is delicious!" Martin insisted. The rest of them groaned good-naturedly, as he finished adding whipped cream to the last shot glass.

"Okay, now we all put our hands behind our backs and pick up the shot with our mouths," Veronica told them. "No cheating! Ready? One, two, three!"

All five of them did the shot, depositing the shot glasses noisily on the stainless steel counter when they were done. The five of them broke into laughter at the sight of each other, whipped cream covering their mouths, noses and chins. It was just as Veronica was attempting to lick the whipped cream off of her upper lip with her tongue that she spotted Logan, watching them from the doorway.

Alain, the French man who stood next to her, heard her gasp of surprise and looked up. Seeing Logan, he quickly alerted the others to his presence. Veronica watched as they all became silent and stoic before her eyes, working diligently to wipe the remaining whipped cream off of their faces and remove the shot glasses from the counter. Alain approached Logan cautiously, unsure how the young man would react to their revelry.

"Mr. Echolls, sir, how can I help you?" he asked.

Logan glanced at Veronica, feeling just as hesitant and uncertain as the crew. _What __the __hell __is __going __on __here?_ But her expression remained composed, and he turned back to Alain. "I'm just looking for something to eat," he explained. "I didn't mean to- interrupt."

"Not at all, sir," Alain replied. He nodded to Veronica with a smile. "The young lady was kind enough to teach us some entertaining games, tonight. Can I interest you in some cold duck? Grilled salmon?"

"Uh, whatever's the fastest," Logan replied. "I just wanted a snack."

"Of course. We'll fix something for you and deliver it to your room momentarily," Alain promised.

"Thanks."

Alain turned to Veronica. "And for you, young lady?" he asked with a sly smile. "We'd be happy to deliver something to your room, as well."

_Yeah, __I __bet,_ Logan thought dryly.

"Thanks, but I'm still full from those nachos," she returned. "I'll see you guys later."

They all said good night to her, and Logan followed her out of the galley. Neither said anything until just before they reached the lobby, when Veronica suddenly stumbled and Logan caught her without thinking. They both stopped walking, and Logan quickly removed his hands from her waist. Veronica leaned against the wall and smiled up at Logan. "Sorry about that. Guess I haven't gotten my sea legs yet."

Logan nodded. "Well either that, or you're drunk off your ass from all the shots you just downed."

Veronica looked up at him with eyes shining and cheeks flushed pink, confirming his suspicion that she and the crew had done more than just a couple of shots together. They stood very close to one another in the narrow hallway, so close that he could feel the warmth of her skin. He noticed that the belt on her robe had come loose, and he caught an enticing hint of something black and silky beneath.

"Were you… watching me?" she asked. Veronica was slightly appalled to hear herself speaking to him in such flirty, breathy tones. _I __sound __like __I__'__m __on __some __trashy __soap __opera. __Like __I__'__m __a __gold-digging __seductress __named __Morgan __Winthorpe __or __something, __trying __desperately __to __get __the __wayward __son __of __the __most __powerful __family __in __town __in __my __bed._ _Damn __shots._

But Logan surprised her with a playful smile of his own. "Maybe."

"And are you impressed that I just got a group of men to do that _particular_ shot?"

Logan leaned against the opposite wall. "I am," he conceded. He gave her a sly smile. "Although I'd have been _more_ impressed if you'd gotten them to do body shots."

"Maybe I'm saving those for tomorrow night," she suggested with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure that's not how a _lady_ is supposed to behave."

"Maybe not a New York lady. Here on the west coast, we're a little more lax in our definition."

Veronica flashed him a rather coy smile and continued down the passageway. He shook his head but followed her. When they reached the lobby, she paused uncertainly in front of the elevator. "Which floor are we on?" she asked.

"Deck," he corrected. "We're on the lower deck."

"And my room is…?"

"On the main deck. You go up one."

"Ah, that was my mistake. I got off on the wrong floor."

"And that's when you met those fine gentleman?" he asked, nodding towards the galley.

"Yes. But it all worked out, because I was looking for something to eat. So what are you doing down here?" she inquired.

"My room is right over there."

"Oh. I didn't think there were any guest rooms down here."

"Just mine," he replied.

She only nodded in reply, reaching over to hit the "up" button on the elevator. As she did, her robe came slightly more undone. He could see that what she wore below was even more revealing than he'd imagined. The neckline dipped down in a lace-trimmed V, while the silky black hem just grazed her upper thigh.

Logan lowered his head slightly, but couldn't seem to quite look away. He scratched the back of his neck absently, suddenly realizing that he was dressed in only a t-shirt and boxers himself. His last words rang through his head, sounding suspiciously like an invitation, and he spoke before he'd even decided what to say. "I never got to give you that tour."

"No," she agreed.

"How about after breakfast tomorrow?" he suggested. He gave her a wry smile. "I wouldn't want you to get lost again."

The elevator arrived, and Veronica opened the glass doors before finally responding. "All right," she agreed. She was choosing to view his offer as a personal challenge- an opportunity to prove to herself that his presence didn't bother her. Because the determined dislike she'd felt for him had begun to wane, replaced by something far more confusing... and that was unacceptable. _But it's only because I just did all of those shots__. _Everyone _starts __to __seem __more appealing, __after __a __few __drinks._ "I'll take you up on that."

"We always do breakfast in the tea room on the main deck." Logan raised an eyebrow at her. "Should I come get you in the morning?"

"Thanks," she said, as she stepped inside the elevator. "But I'm not _that_ blonde. I think I'll manage to find it. Good night."

"Night."

She closed the door and pressed the button to go up. Logan watched as she disappeared from his view, getting one last glimpse of bare leg before she was gone. He pressed his forehead against the cool marble of the nearby wall and groaned, shutting his eyes tight. _This __is __more __than __an __attraction_, he finally admitted to himself. _I __like __this __girl._ _And __I __still __don__'__t __know __what __the _hell _I__'__m __going __to __do __about __it._

He stood up straight and headed back to his room. It was going to be a long, lonely night.

**A/N The ship that they're on is based on an actual luxury yacht, and it's stunning. If anyone wants to see pictures, let me know. I'd be happy to post a link on my profile page.**

**This story has been a lot harder to plot and write than I'd anticipated. (I originally figured on eight chapters total- ha!) I sincerely hope that I'm doing both the book and the characters from the show justice. Reviews are very much appreciated! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N I know it's been forever, and I'm so sorry for the wait. It's been a hectic year. Thank you so much for your continued support, despite the terribly long delays between chapters. I'm so grateful that people haven't given up on this story. I want to say a special thanks to fatherlessgirls, for letting me bounce ideas off of her in the early stages of writing this that have helped keep me on track. Thanks girlie! **

**ETA: I'm such a space case lately. HUGE thank you also to KatiePotatie for reading parts of this in advance and giving me her thoughts. And also for putting up with my whining about it. :) **

Chapter 7

"Is that your _third_ cup of coffee, Logan?"

"Yes," he replied shortly. "So what? Don't you have anything better to do than count how many cups of coffee I've had this morning?"

Madison's mouth dropped open at his response, clearly offended. Logan looked down, busying himself with stirring cream into his coffee. He hadn't intended to be so brusque. But he couldn't seem to muster up the energy to apologize, or even to care. He set his spoon down and glanced up. Duncan was regarding him with a questioning frown, but he remained silent.

"Hey, Logan, can you pass me the salt?" Trina asked.

"It's closer to you than it is to me," he pointed out, leaning back and taking a sip of his coffee.

She rolled her eyes, but reached over and grabbed it herself. "Well aren't you just a little ray of sunshine, this morning?" she commented.

Logan said nothing, and Madison finally spoke up. "What's up with you today?"

"Nothing," he replied, glancing down at his watch. _It's almost eleven. Is she still sleeping?_

"Well if the bloodshot eyes are any indication," Trina smirked, "my guess is that he has quite the hangover."

"Join the club," Connor grumbled, taking a long sip of his Bloody Mary.

"Tell me about it," Madison remarked, although she looked in far better shape than the rest of them. "When did we end up going to bed, anyway?"

"Around three, I think," Duncan replied.

"Speak for yourself," Trina said, shooting a sly smile at her husband. "_Some_ of us stayed up to enjoy our private hot tub."

Duncan made a face and glanced at Madison, who shared his distaste for hearing about Connor and Trina's escapades. They both agreed that their older sister was far too open about her sex life.

But Madison was too distracted to notice her brother's look. Instead, she continued to watch Logan. "So how come you never came back up, last night?" she asked him.

Logan shrugged. "I fell asleep watching The Exorcist," he lied smoothly. _Maybe she couldn't find the right room, after all? Or maybe she doesn't even remember making plans with me?_

Madison looked from Logan to her brother. "And why are _you _so quiet, this morning?"

"I'm just wondering where Meg is," Duncan answered quietly.

"She's probably busy ordering up some 'M.K.' monogrammed bath towels," Logan suggested dryly, taking a sip of coffee. _Or maybe she stood you up? Just like her sister stood _me_ up?_

Madison giggled, but Duncan shot him a look. Logan glanced at his friend. "Sorry," he muttered. "Bad joke."

Duncan nodded, but he was a bit annoyed by Logan's comment. And he was worried about Meg. He knew that she liked to get up early, just as he did. They'd discussed, last night, how they both enjoyed the stillness of the morning, and the promise of a new day. So he'd invited Meg to meet him for breakfast in the Tea Room around nine. He'd known the others would still be asleep then, and he'd been looking forward to spending some time alone with her.

_But it's almost eleven, and she's not here. Is she still feeling sick? Or is she avoiding me?_ Duncan thought back to the previous night, wondering if he'd said or done anything that may have upset her. _Maybe I've been coming on too strong? Maybe she's having second thoughts about coming on this trip with us? I just don't know how to act, around her… I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since we met._

He stood up abruptly and tossed his napkin onto the table. "I'm going to go check on them."

Logan set down his coffee cup. "I'll go with you," he offered. He started to rise from his seat, but Duncan held up his hand.

"Thanks, I got it," he replied firmly. He walked away from the table quickly.

Logan watched as Duncan exited the room, and then he sat back down and stared at the empty plate in front of him. _Great. Now Duncan's pissed off at me _and_ I don't get to find out what's going on._

Madison glanced at Trina. "He's _awfully_ touchy about Meg, isn't he?"

"He hasn't been himself since we got here," Trina agreed. She turned to Logan. "Neither have _you_, come to think of it."

"Yeah, well it's hard to be your full fucking self when it feels like the Keebler Elves have set up shop in your head," he replied. "Some Advil and another cup of coffee and I'll be back to my usual charming ways." Logan turned to Madison with a wry smile. "That'll be four cups, if you're still counting."

Madison didn't return his smile. Instead, she looked at him speculatively. Then she turned back to her sister. "You're right, Trina. The Logan _I _know never goes to sleep before midnight."

"You caught me," Logan spoke up, before Trina could reply. "Meg was just playing sick, last night. The two of us are actually having a torrid affair."

Trina laughed. "So she's really ordering up 'M.E.' towels, then?"

"Well, every girl _is_ all about _me_, aren't they?" Logan smirked.

Trina rolled her eyes, but couldn't think of a good comeback. Madison turned to her sister. "Well, we should be grateful that Logan's taken a liking to Meg, shouldn't we? I mean, _Duncan_ will be crushed. But at least _we_ won't get stuck with the Mars family."

Logan said nothing, and Madison's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she turned back towards him. "I'd be careful if I were you, though," she continued. "If you keep showing so much attention to Veronica, _she_ may be the one ordering up those towels, soon."

He smiled pleasantly back at her. "I don't think she's sewing the name 'Veronica Echolls' into her underwear just yet," he replied. "Of course, when she sees me with my shirt off later at the pool… Well, I can't make any promises."

Connor snorted. "No one's gonna be looking at you when you're next to _me_, dude," he pointed out. "And I'm planning on hanging by the pool all day. My tan needs some serious work." He glanced at Logan with a satisfied smile. "So if you're worried these chicks are into you, just chill out by me today. It'll sort of be like you're invisible."

"Good looking out, Beefcake," Logan responded. He nodded at Connor's Bloody Mary. "Dude, you know there are like eight hundred calories in one of those things, don't you?"

"For real?" Connor asked. "Damn." He set his drink down with a frown and stood up. "Now I gotta go hit the treadmill. See you guys later."

Logan grinned to himself as Connor walked away. But the glow of his victory was short-lived. And as Madison changed the topic to which of her new bikini's she was going to wear later, he found himself staring into his coffee cup and wondering what the hell was taking Duncan so long.

**xxXxx**

When Veronica heard the knock at her door, she assumed it was one of the crew members informing her that she'd missed breakfast. So she didn't bother to tie up her robe, fully aware that they'd all seen her the night before anyway. But when she saw it was Duncan at the door, she pulled her robe tightly around her and only kept the door opened a crack.

"Hey, Duncan," she greeted him politely. "Is everything okay?"

"I was actually here to ask you the same question," he replied. A bit taken aback that she wasn't letting him in, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other awkwardly. Despite all efforts to behave like a gentleman, he couldn't help glancing into the room curiously.

Veronica, catching his look, took a quick moment to consider the situation. And then she stepped backward and pulled the door open all the way. "I'm sorry. Come on in."

Duncan stepped inside a bit hesitantly, glancing around immediately for Meg but not finding her. He gave Veronica a questioning look, and she sighed and gestured for him to come further inside.

"I know Meg doesn't want me to say anything," she began quietly. "But I don't want you to think we're being anti-social." She looked towards the bathroom, and then back at Duncan. "The truth is, she's a little bit seasick."

"Oh no, is she okay?" Duncan asked worriedly. "Should I tell the captain to head back to Neptune?"

Veronica suppressed a smile, gratified that he was once again showing so much concern for her sister's well-being. "No, she's pretty adamant that she'll be okay by tonight." Duncan didn't look convinced, so she continued. "She used to have this problem when we were kids, but she hasn't gotten it in a really long time. She usually packs some Dramamine, just in case, but she forgot it."

"I'm sure there's some on board. Let me go check with the staff to see what I can find," he offered.

"Honestly, she probably won't be able to keep it down right now," Veronica told him.

Duncan frowned, frustrated that he couldn't be more of a help. "Well, I'll go check anyway. And I'll have them send up some toast, or something plain that might make her feel better."

"Thanks," she replied gratefully.

"Would you like something?" he asked. "You must be starving."

She shook her head, the thought of food making her stomach turn a bit. Veronica had just learned the valuable lesson that mixing six or seven different types of alcohol in one evening wasn't the brightest idea. _Especially when you spend the following morning holding your sister's hair back while she pukes._ "No, I'm fine. Maybe just a cup of tea?"

"No problem," Duncan said. He was just turning to leave when he caught sight of an open suitcase on one of the beds. Even from a distance, he could see that it was piled full of lacy, satin clothing.

Veronica, seeing him pause, followed the direction of his eyes. When she realized what he was looking at, she walked over to the bed and quickly closed the suitcase. She could feel herself blushing as she looked back over at Duncan, and was surprised to see that his face was flushed with color as well.

He cleared his throat. "Wow. When your sister plays a prank, she, uh, really goes all out."

"Yeah," Veronica confirmed with a wry smile. "Unfortunately for me."

Duncan looked at her thoughtfully. "I know I'm not exactly your size, but I may have a few things you can borrow. Clothes that are, you know, a little more comfortable than what you have there."

"Yeah," Veronica agreed readily. "Whatever you have would be awesome. Thank you."

Duncan nodded and turned to leave again. But Veronica spoke up when he reached the door. "Um," she began hesitantly. "When you see Logan, can you tell him I'm sorry I stood him up?"

"Stood him up?" Duncan repeated, confused.

"He, uh, probably doesn't remember," she replied offhandedly. "We were both a little tipsy. Just tell him maybe we can do it later."

Extremely curious about what kind of plans Logan had made with her, and _when_ exactly these plans had been made, Duncan nevertheless managed to bite his tongue on his many questions. "Okay," he said. "I'll give him the message."

"Thanks."

He left, and Veronica went to check on Meg. She was sitting on the tile floor with one elbow propped against the toilet seat, and she looked utterly miserable. Veronica relayed her conversation with Duncan, and Meg gave her sister a relieved smile. While she was incredibly embarrassed, she was also happy that he now knew that she wasn't purposely avoiding him. And she was even happier that he'd come to check up on her.

The next knock on the door came from a crew member Veronica didn't recognize, who delivered a tray of tea and toast. She had just set it down on the dresser and started walking to the bathroom to get Meg, when there was a third knock on the door. She opened it to reveal Duncan, holding a black leather duffel bag.

She invited him back inside, and he set the bag down on top of Meg's bed. "Okay, so I got what I could," he told her, as he reached into the bag. "There's some Dramamine and Bonine, and then some other, sort of weird remedies the crew swears by."

Duncan handed her a variety of items, and she set them all down on the end table. "Wow. Thank you so much."

He shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed. "I just want her to feel better. This was supposed to be a fun trip, you know?"

Veronica smiled, genuinely touched by his efforts to get Meg well. Before she could say anything, he continued.

"And I want _you _to have fun too, so I grabbed a few things I thought you could use." He reached into the bag again, producing an armful of clothing. "Obviously, none of my jeans or shorts will fit you. But we'll be lounging around the pool for most of the day today, so if you want something to cover up with, or just something to sleep in later, maybe these will help."

She accepted the clothing that he handed her, overcome with relief that her wardrobe options had just gotten a lot less Frederick's of Hollywood. She spotted several cotton t-shirts, a couple of long-sleeved shirts, and even a pair of plaid pajama pants. Veronica set the pile of clothing down on the bed, and then turned back around to face him. "Thank you, _so_ much. Really."

"No problem. I'm just glad I could help." Duncan glanced at the bathroom door. "Listen, if she doesn't feel better soon I'm going to tell the captain to head back." Veronica opened her mouth to protest, but he continued. "No, really. It's _my_ choice. The others will just have to deal with it."

Veronica was well aware of how "the others" would feel about that decision, and just who they would blame, but she nodded her head. Meg's well-being took precedence for her- and, it seemed, for Duncan. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll come find you in a little while and let you know how she's feeling."

"Good. All right. I'll get out of your hair. Just tell her, you know, that I- that we all missed her at breakfast today."

"Okay," she assured him, not bothering to hide her smile. "I will." She thanked him again, and he left.

**xxXxx**

Duncan never ended up returning to the Tea Room, and neither Veronica nor Meg ever made an appearance, either. After breakfast, Trina and Madison announced that they were going up to the salon to watch TV, but Logan decided to head back down to his state room instead. He'd just reached the lobby when he ran into Duncan, coming from the opposite direction. He was carrying a black leather duffel bag, and he looked deep in thought.

"Hey," Logan said.

Duncan looked up. "Hi."

He made to continue walking past Logan, but his friend stepped in front of his path. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said before, okay? I'm just- I just feel like shit this morning. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Duncan didn't respond right away, and Logan couldn't quite place the expression on his face. It was almost as though he were sizing him up. "Okay," he finally replied. He moved around Logan, towards the stairs. "I need to go up and talk to the captain."

"Is everything all right?"

Duncan shrugged. "We'll see, I guess," he answered cryptically. He started up the stairs, but paused on the second step and turned back towards Logan. "Veronica wanted me to tell you that she was sorry for standing you up. And that maybe you guys could do it later." He paused. "I was just a little curious about what _it_ is?"

Logan's smile quickly evolved into a smirk, as he looked back up at his friend. "Well, buddy, if you don't know by _now_, you're out of luck. Maybe you should ask your dad, when we get home. Or I'm sure Connor has some pointers. But explaining the birds and the bees isn't really in my job description."

Duncan rolled his eyes. "Very funny. So… what is it that you had planned with Veronica?"

"Oh you know, the usual. We were supposed to meet up for a quickie in hot tub, before breakfast."

"Okay, fine. Don't tell me."

Logan laughed. "No, man, I just offered to show her around the ship."

Duncan sighed. "Sure you did. All right, I gotta go take care of this. Feel like a game of pool, when I'm done?"

"Yeah, all right," Logan replied distractedly. "But wait a minute. You don't believe me?"

"Was I supposed to?" Duncan asked dryly.

Logan crossed his arms over his chest. "Is the thought of me doing something nice for someone really so out of the realm of possibility?"

"You really want me to answer that?"

"I'm genuinely offended by that remark, just so you know. As it happens, I was merely trying to prove you wrong."

"In what way?"

Logan shrugged. "You're always telling me what a snob I am. I thought offering to show Veronica around would prove that your low opinion of me is unfounded."

Duncan looked confused. "So I'm supposed to believe that, after all of the disparaging remarks over the last few days, you've suddenly had a change of heart about her?" He raised an eyebrow. "It seems more likely that your offer, if it actually existed, was just a means to an end. Probably brought about by boredom or alcohol. Or both."

Logan shook his head in mock disapproval. "Here I am, trying to help out a damsel in distress, and all you can do is question my motives?"

Duncan laughed. "Well what can I say? Your reputation proceeds you. Just…" His expression became serious, but he didn't continue.

"Just what?" Logan prompted.

"She's a nice girl, Logan," Duncan said pointedly. "Not the type of girl who you usually spend time with. And not the type who should be pursued simply because you have nothing better to do."

"And just when I think you couldn't _possibly_ think less of me," Logan replied with a smirk, trying to hide the fact that he was genuinely hurt by that remark.

"C'mon, it's not like that," Duncan replied. "I'm just trying to look out for her."

"How lucky for her that she has such a stalwart prince of righteousness like _you_ to protect her against the likes of _me_," Logan remarked. Before Duncan could respond, he began heading towards the stairs. "I think I'll pass on that game of pool. See you later." With that, he turned his back on his friend and walked quickly down the stairs towards his room.

**xxXxx**

Veronica was sitting on her bed, flipping through a magazine, when the intercom buzzed loudly.

"_Miss Mars?"_

Startled, Veronica didn't respond right away. She glanced over at Meg, who was lying down on her own bed. Meg gestured for her to go answer.

"_Miss Mars? Veronica?"_

She stood up and walked quickly over to the intercom, pressing a larger button on the side. "Uh, yeah?" she asked uncertainly.

"_It's Alain. Mr. Kane wanted me to tell you that lunch is being served poolside."_

"Okay, thanks Alain."

Veronica walked back over to her bed and sat down. She picked up her magazine and began flipping through it again.

"Aren't you going to lunch?" Meg asked.

"No, I don't think so," Veronica replied. "Honestly, I'm not even hungry."

Her stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly in protest, and Meg laughed. She twisted her body towards Veronica and gave her a sleepy smile. "Look, don't think I don't appreciate you taking care of me, or that I don't enjoy your company, but… get the hell out of here, already, will you?"

"I'm not going to leave you here like this," Veronica said stubbornly.

"The worst of it's over, I promise," Meg replied. "And it's my own stupid fault for not packing something, anyway."

"Because you were too busy packing for _me_," Veronica pointed out.

"No, because I haven't needed it in a long time," Meg denied. She yawned and pulled the blanket up to her chin, and then she pointed to the box of Dramamine next to her. "You know how this stuff always conks me out. I refuse to let you stay in here all day, just to watch me sleep. I want you to have a nice time. So just go, okay? Go eat something, explore, have fun… Maybe meet up with Logan, for whatever mysterious thing you two were planning on doing together."

Veronica looked over at Meg sharply, to find her sister giving her a devious smile.

"I overheard you talking to Duncan, earlier," Meg explained. She didn't push any farther, but the questioning look in her eyes remained.

Not wanting to elaborate on the topic, Veronica set her magazine down and got up off the bed. "Fine, I'll go." She glanced over at her suitcase, which now lay on the floor, opened but still unpacked. She sighed heavily. "Now I just have to figure out what the hell to wear."

**xxXxx**

Half an hour later, Veronica walked slowly down the hall and through the lobby. Having just discovered that her swimwear options were even more revealing than her clothing options, she was clad in a mortifyingly skimpy black bikini. But it was currently hidden beneath one of Duncan's oversized t-shirts, tied at the waist, and a pair of shorts she'd outgrown in junior high. _Where the hell did Lilly even find these things? I thought I threw them away years ago. _

She continued on through what looked like a living room, walking towards the library that she and Duncan had visited the previous evening. The doors at the end of the room, which had been closed and shaded last night, were now thrown open to reveal a spacious wooden deck and the glistening pool beyond. A metal cart containing stacks of folded towels had been pushed up against one wall. Deciding that she'd go for a quick swim before lunch, she grabbed a towel off of the cart and threw it over her shoulder.

Veronica continued forward hesitantly, pausing just before she reached the open doorway. The area before the pool was set up like a patio, shaded by the overhanging deck of the salon above. A variety of food had been lain out upon two glass-topped coffee tables, which were encircled by a U-shaped couch and several chairs.

A bar, with a television set right into its wooden front, acted as a barrier between the patio and the pool behind it. Veronica could see several empty glasses sitting atop the bar, but there was nobody seated there. Wondering where everyone was, she took another step forward and squinted into the sun.

Trina was in mid-conversation with Connor, who was emerging from the pool. Veronica couldn't help watching him as he stood up straight, taking in his perfectly chiseled abs and the hard, flat muscles of his back and shoulders. Realizing she was staring at him with her mouth dropped open, she blushed and closed it, glad no one had witnessed her reaction. _Okay, I know he's an idiot, but _damn_._ _He puts the statue of David to shame._

She looked away from him and spotted Madison, lounging lazily on a chaise beside the pool. Looking utterly at ease in an olive green bikini that barely concealed her ample curves, she sat up and stretched slowly. Her bronzed body glistened slightly from her suntan oil, and Veronica glanced down at her own pale arms and legs self-consciously.

Madison turned her head towards the patio, and Veronica stepped back inside quickly. As she pressed her body against the shaded wall, concealing herself from the people outside, she couldn't help wondering over her sudden onset of shyness. Normally quite confident and happy with her own body, she nevertheless found herself feeling a bit… inadequate. _Something I've been feeling far too often, these past few days._

She brushed the thought aside, not wanting to dwell on the matter. _I should never have left Meg. She needs me._ Veronica turned abruptly and began to walk away. She toyed absently with the knotted end of the shirt she wore, not paying attention to where she was walking. Feeling a sudden pressure upon her upper arm, she gasped in surprise and looked up.

Logan was standing directly in front of her, in a pair of black swim trunks and flip flops, a grey t-shirt slung over his shoulder. Veronica stopped just short of walking into him, forced to steady herself by placing her palm against his bare chest. She let go of him quickly, and he let go of her arm in turn.

"Well, look who finally decided to get out of bed today?" he remarked dryly. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I- was going to go for a swim," she replied.

"I know we've established that you have a terrible sense of direction, but you do realize the pool is _that_ way, right?" He pointed behind her, wearing that smirk of his that was becoming entirely too familiar.

She didn't turn around, just shrugged her shoulders. "I know. I changed my mind."

"What's the problem?" he asked. "Is the pool not up to your standards?"

"No, I just decided that I wanted to grab a bite of food, first. I haven't eaten yet, today."

Logan studied her for several seconds before responding. He was fully aware that lunch was set up poolside, and that Veronica must have noticed it. But for whatever reason, it seemed that she didn't want to join the others for lunch. He decided not to push the issue, instead commenting, "I'm surprised your new buddies in the galley didn't offer to bring you breakfast in bed."

"Who says they didn't?" she returned with a raised eyebrow.

Not entirely sure if she was joking or not, and not entirely pleased with that statement, Logan changed the subject. "Well it just so happens that I'm hungry, too. I was about to order up a burger. You interested?"

Veronica bit her lip, realizing that her options were limited. She felt terrible requesting a second lunch, when she knew full well that the crew had already gone through the trouble of setting the meal up out on the patio. And she didn't relish the idea of eating alone with Logan. _But I'm starving._ _And the last thing I want to do is stuff my face in front of the likes of Connor Larkin, while Malibu Barbie out there has two bites of a celery stick and calls it a meal._

She glanced up at Logan. "Um, yeah. Alright."

He walked over to the intercom and pushed the call button. When someone came to the line, he spoke decisively. "Can you bring a couple of burgers up to the salon? And some fries, too?"

"_Certainly, sir. And how would you like the hamburgers cooked?"_

Veronica opened up her mouth, but Logan didn't wait for a reply. "Medium. Thanks."

"_It will be ready in approximately fifteen minutes."_

She gave him a withering look, as he turned back towards her. "And what if I like my burgers cooked well done?"

"You have better taste than that," he replied.

Veronica rolled her eyes, refusing to admit that he was right. She pulled the towel off of her shoulder, folded it carefully and placed it back on the metal cart. Then she turned back to Logan with a retort on her lips; but the look on his face stopped her from saying it. He was staring at her with one hand on his hip, his expression bordering between confusion and curiosity. "What?" she demanded.

"Rummaging through my closet, I see?"

"Huh?"

He gestured to her shirt, a slight smile on his lips. "Well," he began, "it seems far too unlikely of a coincidence that you just happened to bring the _exact _samet-shirt that I did on this little boating trip. For something 3,000 miles away from here. In my size and everything."

Veronica looked down at the shirt she was wearing. It was a simple black T-shirt with a white and yellow logo, for something called the Brooklyn Bowl. She glanced back up at Logan with a frown. "Duncan gave this to me."

"_Duncan_ gave it to you?" he repeated incredulously.

"Um, yeah," she replied slowly.

_And what the hell is Duncan doing, lending you clothing? _Logan wondered._ I can only think of _one_ situation that they'd be in that would lead to her needing something to wear…Is that what took him so long, this morning? Is _that_ why he seemed so interested in my plans with her?_

Veronica looked at Logan curiously. He was staring at her as though he were angry, but she wasn't sure what she'd done. "He was trying to remedy my little wardrobe dilemma," she explained.

_Oh._ Logan leaned back against the bookcase behind him, crossing one leg over the other. "Well then he should have asked my permission," he remarked, attempting to recover his composure. "Because he borrowed that shirt from _me_."

Mistaking the hardness in his voice for annoyance, Veronica pulled the shirt up and over her head in one swift motion. She took a couple of steps towards Logan and held it out in front of her. "Here. Take it back. I've only had it on for a few minutes." _And I certainly don't want you to do me any favors._

Logan stood up straight as she approached him, taken aback by the sight of the tiny blonde in front of him. Clad only in her bikini top and a pair of shorts that barely covered her bottom, she somehow managed to make him feel like _he_ was the one who was exposed. She met his eyes directly, expression proud and jaw set stubbornly, and he realized that she was offended.

He held up his hand and shook his head, forcing himself to keep his eyes on her face. "I'm just teasing you," he replied, his voice gentle. "Go ahead and wear it. It's fine."

Suddenly aware of what she must look like, Veronica stepped backward and quickly pulled the shirt back over her head. When she glanced up at Logan, she was surprised to see that he was smiling. "Well don't worry," she told him. "I'll wash it before I give it back, so you won't catch my cooties."

His smile widened into a grin. "I expect it to be laundered at _least_ twice before it's returned," he replied. "You know, just to be on the safe side."

Veronica frowned and made to take the shirt off again, but Logan held up both hands to stop her. "I'm kidding," he assured her. "You're welcome to wear it. And don't worry about getting it back to me, it's no big deal."

"Fine," she relented grudgingly. "But only because I'm cold."

"Good," he said lightly. Amazed that he'd just argued in _favor_ of her wearing more clothing, he couldn't help feeling like he'd just scored some kind of victory. The idea of her wearing something of his appealed to him quite a bit, but he wasn't entirely sure why.

Veronica, uncomfortable with the sudden stretch of silence, walked over to one of the bookcases and began looking through the titles. Realizing that he was still staring at her, Logan stepped away from the bookcase he'd been leaning against and shrugged on his own t-shirt. "So," he began, "this is the library."

She looked up, a wry smile on her lips. "I never would have guessed."

"Well, most people aren't familiar with these strange objects called books, these days," he joked. "They think it's some kind of museum." She laughed, and he went on. "Would you like me to continue the tour, while we wait?"

"If you keep giving me gems of wisdom like _that_, how could I possibly pass it up?" Veronica replied. She stood up straight, and they walked together through the narrow library into the larger room she had passed through earlier.

"The main deck salon," Logan informed her.

"How many salons does one boat need?" she wondered aloud.

"Every respectable yacht has at least two," he returned with a grin.

"I see."

Veronica looked around, taking a moment to fully appreciate the beauty of the carefully designed room. Logan watched her, noticing her eyes light up when she spotted the baby grand piano in the corner. "Maybe you can show off your skills later?" he suggested, nodding his head towards the instrument.

"Yeah," she replied sarcastically. "I'll dazzle everyone with the Peanuts theme song."

Logan laughed, but he was slightly disappointed by her response. He'd liked hearing her play, the other day. Having no musical ability of his own, he'd always been impressed by people who knew how to make music. "Well_ I_ enjoyed it," he said honestly.

Veronica just laughed, not taking him seriously as usual. She followed him out of the room. They passed through the lobby and into an area she had never visited before.

"The main deck dining room," Logan announced.

"Probably could have figured that one out for myself," she remarked, nodding to the large dining room table and chairs in the center of the room. "But thanks for clarifying."

"Well," Logan returned, leading her across the hallway into a smaller dining area, "I thought you may have confused it with the Tea Room. You know, since you never showed up here this morning."

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that," Veronica replied. "Meg is still sick. I asked Duncan to-"

"He gave me the message," he interrupted. "It's no big deal."

Although Logan kept his tone casual, Veronica got the impression that her not meeting him for breakfast _had_ been a big deal. She wondered why he was so bothered by it- if he was just someone who didn't like it when plans got broken, or if, more specifically, he didn't like the fact that _she_ had been the one who'd left him hanging_. Or maybe he's never had someone stand him up before?_

Not daring to ask, she silently followed him out of the room. He waved vaguely to the area down the hall. "You know what's down there already. Your room, the other state rooms. And you discovered the galley last night all on your very own. Let me show you the Sky Lounge Deck."

They headed up the circular stairway. When they got to the Upper Deck lobby, Logan kept walking towards the next flight of stairs. But Veronica paused, gesturing to her right. "What else is on this deck?" she asked. "I've only seen the salon."

"Just the Owner's Suite," Logan replied. "That's where Trina and Connor are staying. I'd show you, but I don't want to risk seeing Trina's unmentionables scattered around the room."

"I had no idea you were so squeamish."

"Yeah, well, she's like my sister. It's just weird."

"And Madison?" Veronica questioned, unable to stop herself. "Is she like a sister to you as well?"

Logan stopped walking and glanced at her briefly, trying to hide his surprise at her asking. It was a valid question; an obviously observant girl like Veronica would surely have picked up on Madison's attentions towards him. But he couldn't help wondering why she cared.

"No," he finally replied. "She's not."

More intrigued than ever, now, about the nature of Logan and Madison's relationship, Veronica nevertheless forced herself to remain silent. She didn't want him to mistake her curiosity for interest in him, or for him to accuse her of prying into things that were clearly none of her business.

Yet, being an inquisitive person by nature, she had to admit that she found Logan to be a rather interesting subject to study. Not being one to readily volunteer information about himself, he remained a bit of a mystery to her. And he never seemed to say or do what she expected him to. _It's sort of refreshing. _

Wordlessly, the two of them continued up the stairs; when they reached the top, Logan led her forward into a large room filled with several pieces of exercise equipment. "Here's the gym," Logan said. "A good place to avoid, unless you feel like trying to make small talk with Connor."

They walked across the gleaming hardwood floor, towards a set of curved glass doors that looked just like the ones in the salon below them. Logan slid the doors open, and they headed out onto the deck. He gestured towards the right hand side of the deck with a flourish. "And, finally, the hot tub."

"Nice."

"Very," Logan agreed. A vivid image of Veronica, sitting in the hot tub in that tiny black bikini of hers that he'd glimpsed earlier, popped into his head. He cleared his throat and walked over to the railing. To his surprise, Veronica came over to stand beside him.

They looked down at the pool, two decks below them, and at the ocean beyond. It was a beautiful day, and the sea was calm. Veronica could hear the waves lapping up against the ship, but she barely felt any movement as they traveled slowly through the water. Feeling the same sense of tranquility that she had yesterday, she looked up at Logan with a smile. "I just got the strangest sense of déjà vu," she remarked.

He smiled, but didn't reply, continuing to look out to sea. The deck was empty of people now, but Veronica could hear the sounds of faint conversation emanating from beneath them. She guessed everyone was enjoying their lunch in the shaded patio area, just out of sight. And she was suddenly very glad that she'd decided not to join them.

Logan glanced over at her, watching as she closed her eyes and breathed in the ocean air. And just as he had the previous day, he was struck with the strongest urge to kiss her. He took a deep breath and exhaled quietly, shifting his body so that he was facing towards the interior of the ship.

"Well that's pretty much everything," he said. "The captain's quarters and the wheel house are up here too, but that's it. And our lunch should be just about ready, so…"

"Well, thanks for showing me around," she replied, offering him a small smile.

"No problem," Logan nodded. He stood up straight, and the two of them headed back into the gym and down one flight of stairs. When they entered the salon, he could see that their lunch was waiting for them on the table at the back.

They sat down silently, keeping busy for a few minutes while they placed their preferred toppings on their hamburgers. Logan felt oddly nervous; he searched his brain for a topic of conversation, but his usually sharp mind failed him. He watched as Veronica took several enormous bites of her burger, impressed with her voracious appetite. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a girl take such obvious pleasure in her food.

Veronica chewed slowly, watching him as he watched her. She swallowed and wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Is there a reason why you're staring at me?" she finally demanded.

"I'm just hoping you don't drip ketchup," he replied, biting into his own burger. "I like that shirt."

She sighed, resisting the urge to take the damn shirt off and throw it across the room at him. "So what _is_ the Brooklyn Bowl, anyway?" she asked, curious despite herself. "Is it like a football game, or something?"

"No, it's not an event," he corrected her, suppressing a smile. "It's a place."

"Oh," she replied, feeling stupid. "What kind of place?"

"It's sort of a combination bar and bowling alley," Logan replied. "And you can see live music there, too. While you bowl."

"That sounds pretty cool," Veronica said grudgingly. It actually sounded awesome, but she didn't want to tell him that. She took another bite of her burger.

"Yeah, it's a fun place to hang out. Sort of a pain in the ass to get to, from where I live, but worth it. You, uh, remember the cousin I was telling you about, who works for the Bowery?"

"Yeah…"

"Well he also bartends at Brooklyn Bowl, most weekends."

Veronica gave him a strange look, but said nothing. She reached for a fry.

"What?" he asked.

"It's just weird, thinking that you have a cousin who bartends," she replied. "And that you, like, hang out in Brooklyn. At some bar."

"And what's so weird about that?" he asked defensively.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just can't quite picture it." Seeing him frown, she decided to change the subject. "My friend Eli bartends. At the Albacore Club. Maybe you met him, at the Black and White Ball?"

Veronica was, of course, well aware of the fact that they'd met- because Weevil had already told her exactly what had transpired between them that night. How Logan had demanded to be served, throwing around the weight that his name carried just so that he could get drunk. How, not wanting to risk his job, Weevil had refused- but the owner of the Albacore Club had caved. How Logan had ordered glass after glass of the most expensive scotch they carried, until the bottle was nearly empty. _But he doesn't know that _I_ know any of that._

"Yeah," Logan said dryly. "I met him." He thought back to that night, remembering the tough-looking bartender with the gang tats, and suddenly recalling that he and Veronica had seemed very friendly. _She even gave him a hug, at one point._ "So how exactly did you two come to be friends?"

"I don't remember," she replied vaguely. "Why?"

"He doesn't seem like someone who would run in your circle."

She shrugged again, taking another bite of her burger. "I'm friends with all sorts of people."

"Well so am I," Logan said pointedly, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I'm sure Claremont Prep is _extremely_ diverse," she said sarcastically. He shot her a look, and Veronica quickly realized her mistake.

"How do you know where I go to school?" he asked.

"Duncan mentioned it," she lied smoothly.

"I see. So, what, do you guys go to one of those new age schools that, like, embraces nature and believes in letting your imagination roam wild?"

"No," Veronica replied. "We go to Neptune High."

"Public school?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes. I know, shocking." She took the last bite of her burger and wiped her hands on her napkin. "But at least they don't allow our imaginations to roam wild. _That_ would be truly tragic."

Aware that she was mocking him, Logan chose not to reply. Instead, he finished his meal and took a drink of water, wishing he'd thought to ask for something stronger. Then he pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. "So, you ready for that swim now?"

"Um, I think I'm actually going to go check on Meg, first," she replied, standing up herself.

Logan nodded, carefully hiding his disappointment, and he and Veronica walked to the lobby. She thanked him again for the tour and told him she'd see him later; and then she headed in one direction, and he in the other.

It had been an unexpected surprise, getting to spend some time alone with her, and he'd enjoyed it very much. _But I'm not sure how much she enjoyed _my_ company. _He brushed the thought aside, confident that he could win her over if he put his mind to it. _I just need to decide, once and for all, what it is that I really want from her._

**xxXxx **

When Veronica got back to her room, Meg was sleeping soundly. Not wanting to wake her, she avoided turning on the television. Instead, she flipped through the magazine she'd been reading earlier; but she quickly grew bored. Her eyes strayed to the window, where the sun shone through warmly. _I'm being ridiculous, hiding out in here. Since when do I care what anyone else thinks about me?_

She stood up and walked across the room, grabbing her sunglasses off the dresser. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she paused. Her eyes focused on the logo of the t-shirt she still wore, and she began to pull it off. But then she hesitated. _If I go back out there with a change of clothes on, he'll think that he's won. That all of his teasing about me wearing his shirt got to me. I'm not going to give him that satisfaction._

Veronica dropped her hand from the hem of Logan's shirt and took a deep breath. She felt as though she were about to go hiking through the Amazon at night, with no gear and no guide. She glanced over at Meg, wishing that her sister were feeling better. And wishing, she admitted to herself, that she didn't have to go face everyone alone.

_Maybe they've all gotten bored and moved on to some other form of entertainment, by now. Maybe I can just go for a swim in peace and quiet._ She exited the room, closing the door behind her quietly. _And even if they haven't- so what? They all saw me in that ridiculous dress last night. And Logan already saw me in my bikini top, earlier. He didn't exactly look repulsed by the sight._

She walked quickly down the hall and through the lobby, passing by the entrance to the dining room and through the salon until she reached the library. This time, she didn't hesitate when she reached the open doors that led to the pool. Instead, she grabbed a towel off the metal cart and stepped outside with her head held high.

To her disappointment, everyone but Connor was still outside. Trina and Duncan sat at one of the two round tables that were located on either side of the bar, talking. She spotted Logan sitting on one of the chaises, drying off his hair with a towel. Madison stood directly in front of him, displaying her body to its best advantage while watching him with interest.

Veronica had just begun to lose her nerve again when her attention was caught by the sound of her name being called. She looked up in surprise to see Martin, the German crew member who she'd met the night before, standing behind the bar. Smiling widely, she walked over to him to say hello.

The others soon became aware of the new addition to their party, each displaying varying levels of excitement. Duncan smiled broadly and waved hello from his spot at the table. Trina gave her what barely passed for a smile and turned back to her brother, continuing with their conversation.

Madison at first merely glanced at her with distaste; but upon closer inspection, her eyes narrowed and she looked down at Logan. _His_ eyes, she noticed, were darting between Veronica and the bartender. Madison frowned and nodded towards the bar. "Is there a reason why she's wearing your _shirt_?" she inquired, not quite able to keep the suspicion out of her voice.

Veronica laughed at something Martin said, and Logan frowned. He turned back towards Madison, continuing to run his towel vigorously across his head. "She got cold," he answered briefly.

"And when was this?" she demanded.

"Earlier," he shrugged. He stopped drying off and draped the towel around his neck, unable to stop himself from glancing back over at the bar. Duncan was walking over there now, taking a seat directly next to Veronica. She greeted him with a warm smile, appearing quite at ease with him.

In reality, she wasn't nearly as relaxed as she appeared; but Veronica had always been skilled at portraying confidence, even when she wasn't feeling particularly confident. And being around Duncan and Martin, the only two people who she felt certain were genuinely happy to see her, was helping. _As for the others, who cares? I'm on a gorgeous yacht, and it's a gorgeous day. I'm going to enjoy myself._

Determined to ignore Madison's spiteful looks and Logan's stares, Veronica agreed to let Martin fix her a martini and fell into easy conversation with Duncan. He immediately asked after Meg, wondering if she thought her sister would be able to join them for dinner that evening. She replied that she hoped so, and they went on to discuss the possibility of exploring Catalina Island, the next day.

After some time, she finished her drink and announced her intention to go for a swim.

Feeling much less inhibited after her martini, she took off her shirt and shorts and placed them on one of the chaises. Then she tossed her sunglasses on top of the pile and dove into the pool. A strong swimmer, Veronica stayed underwater for the length of the pool and came up on the other side feeling incredibly refreshed. She then began to do laps, quite unaware that her disrobing and subsequent swim had drawn Logan's full attention.

Madison, however, was fully aware of the effect Veronica's arrival had had on him. Despite all of her efforts to interest him in a variety of different topics, some of which she was sure he cared about deeply, Logan remained distracted. When she asked him the same question twice and received no response, she became incredibly alarmed. Madison was not a girl who was used to being ignored.

So when Veronica came out of the pool, cheeks flushed from her swim and water dripping down her toned body, Madison decided to change tactics. Glancing once at Logan, who wasn't bothering to hide his obvious appreciation at the sight of their blonde guest, she snatched an item off of the table next to her and approached Veronica.

"Hey," Madison greeted her, smiling sweetly. "I thought you may want some suntan lotion." She glanced at Veronica's fair skin pointedly. "The sun's brutal out on the water, and you look like the type who burns."

"Uh, thanks," Veronica replied, accepting the bottle from her. She glanced down to see that it was marked SPF 15, and she smiled to herself. She held the bottle back out to Madison. "But this isn't quite strong enough for me. I think I'll just put my t-shirt back on and get out of the sun."

Madison took the bottle from Veronica silently, annoyed that her plan had gotten foiled. A bad sunburn would have put her rival out of commission for the rest of their trip. _And then I'd have Logan all to myself again._ She watched the blonde girl as she dried off, wondering how to proceed next.

Veronica, feeling Madison's eyes upon her, pulled Logan's t-shirt on over her bikini quickly. As she put it on, she glanced over at him with silent resignation. Logan grinned, looking rather pleased, and she rolled her eyes at him. Not bothering to put on her shorts, she instead untied the knot at her waist and let the shirt fall down to her mid-thigh.

Madison, catching the look the two of them had just exchanged, regarded Veronica thoughtfully. Clad in a slightly wrinkled, oversized t-shirt, with her wet hair a tangled mess, Veronica was no match to _her_. Madison was certain of this. She'd taken ample time that morning, making sure that her hair and makeup were flawless, as always. And she'd carefully chosen a bikini that was both complimentary to her skin tone and flattering to her figure.

_No. Veronica is no match to me. But… why does he look at her so much?_ Unable to shake her concern, she came to a quick decision. _He needs to see us side by side_._ Then it will be clear which one of us is the obvious choice. _She walked over to Veronica with purpose. "Come have a drink with me," she offered, in the friendliest tone she could muster.

Taken aback, Veronica had no choice but to agree. The two girls walked over to the bar together, and Madison ordered them both a cosmo. When Madison glanced back over at Logan, and she saw that he was walking towards them; she smiled in satisfaction. But instead of coming to the bar, as she'd expected, he veered left and headed over to join Trina and Duncan at their table.

Logan hadn't spoken to Duncan since their meeting in the lobby, earlier that day. Deciding that he may have over-reacted slightly, he approached his friend with a tentative smile. He hoped that Duncan wasn't too annoyed with him to make up. Rarely one to apologize, however, he merely sat down without a word and helped himself to a sip of Trina's vodka tonic.

"Hey," she protested, reaching for her drink. "Get your own. The bar's, like, two feet away."

He glanced over at the bar warily. He wasn't sure exactly what game Madison was playing, but he was sure she was up to no good. _And I have no desire to get in the middle of it, whatever _it_ is._ "Exactly why it shouldn't be a big deal for you to go get yourself another one," he told Trina, holding her glass out of reach.

She sighed but stood up, curious about what her sister was doing with Veronica and secretly happy for an excuse to go over there. When she walked away, Logan looked at Duncan with a wry smile. "So. I see you're lending out my clothing, now."

Duncan had been expecting this comment. As soon as he'd seen which shirt Veronica had chosen to wear today, he'd realized his mistake. But he could also tell that Logan wasn't really as annoyed about it as he was pretending to be. And once again, he found himself wondering exactly what it was that his friend truly felt about Veronica Mars.

"You were wrong, you know," he informed Logan, unable to keep the satisfaction out of his voice. "About her sister not really pranking her. I saw her suitcase myself, this morning, when I went to check up on Meg."

"And who's to say _she_ didn't pack it herself?" Logan returned. He didn't really believe that, anymore; but he could never seem to stop himself from playing Devil's advocate, especially with Duncan.

Duncan rolled his eyes at Logan. "Believe whatever you want, dude. But she certainly didn't seem happy about her options."

"So you loaned her some of your clothing," Logan stated. "And, incidentally, some of mine as well."

Duncan nodded. "It was the least I could do, to try and make her feel more comfortable."

"How very Prince Charming of you," Logan remarked, taking another long sip of Trina's drink. He glanced back over at the bar, his eyes lingering on Veronica. She was talking to Martin again, her eyes sparkling and a flirtatious smile upon her lips. "Everyone just seems to be falling all over themselves, trying to make her feel at home."

Duncan, following his gaze, was more curious than ever; he knew his friend well enough to be able to distinguish when he was keeping something from him. And despite the sarcastic, almost bored, tone in his voice, he'd detected something he wasn't sure he'd ever heard from Logan before. _Is that… jealousy?_

Logan finished his drink in one last, large gulp, setting it on the table rather noisily. Duncan took the last sip of his beer, and Logan stood up. "C'mon, let's go grab another drink," he suggested, nodding to the bar.

They got up and walked over, taking a seat at the end. Martin came over to them with a smile. "Would you like another?" he asked Duncan.

"Please," he replied.

Martin turned towards Logan. "And what can I get you, sir?"

"I'll take one of those," he told him, nodding at Duncan's empty beer bottle. "And how about you and I do a shot together?"

Martin glanced from Logan to Duncan, shaking his head. "Oh, thank you sir, but no. We're not supposed to drink, on duty."

"Didn't seem to stop you last night," Logan observed. Martin laughed nervously, busying himself with the task of producing two beers out of the fridge below the bar and uncapping the bottles. He placed one in front of each of them, as Logan continued to smile at him benevolently.

"Oh, come on," he urged. "I'm sure you could use a drink." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I promise I won't tell."

Martin didn't reply, still looking very uncertain. But Veronica, overhearing their conversation, came to his rescue. "Let's all do a shot," she spoke up. "I think Martin is partial to Goldschläger, if I remember correctly." She turned to Madison with a pleasant smile. "You can handle that, right?"

"Is that the one with the gold flakes in it?" Madison asked doubtfully.

"Yup," Duncan confirmed. "Let's do it."

Although Logan detested that particular drink, he simply shrugged. "I'm game," he agreed, meeting Veronica's eye. He couldn't help but be impressed by the way she had just turned the situation around. Martin smiled gratefully at her, and Logan felt a twinge of remorse. He wasn't quite sure what had prompted him to provoke the bartender. The guy had never done anything to him, after all. _Maybe_ _I just didn't like the way he was looking at her._

All three girls agreed to do the shot. Martin poured six of them, and they drank quickly. Madison coughed violently, but waved Martin away when he tried to offer her a glass of water. "I'm _fine_," she insisted. "But I don't know why anyone would want a drink that tastes like liquefied cinnamon chewing gum."

Logan chuckled at her analogy. "And what would you prefer?" he asked. "Tequila?"

"If you're about to suggest body shots, I'd like to remind you that I'm _related_ to two of the three women sitting here," Duncan told him, making a face.

"Who says it has to be guy on girl?" Logan replied, looking from Madison to Veronica with a raised eyebrow.

"_Lo_gan!" Madison protested, pretending to be offended. "You're terrible!" She looked at Veronica. "Can you believe him, wanting us to do a thing like that? What should we do to get back at him?"

"Dare him to do a body shot off Duncan?" Veronica suggested.

"Never gonna happen," Logan informed her.

"So you'd prefer Connor, then?" she teased, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Hardly."

"Well then we'll have to think up some other form of punishment," she replied.

"Punishment?" he repeated with a grin. "Now _that _sounds more up my alley."

Madison giggled, looking from Logan to Veronica. "What do you have in mind?"

"Whatever will make him the most uncomfortable," she answered with a devious glint in her eye. "We have to exploit his weaknesses."

"Logan?" Madison replied doubtfully. "He doesn't have any."

"Oh, I forgot," Veronica said with a smile. "He's a perfect ten."

"Those were _your_ words," Logan reminded her. "Not mine."

"So you _don't_ consider yourself a ten?"

"There's no good way to answer that question."

"How about truthfully?" she suggested, taking another sip of her cosmo. She knew the alcohol was making her brazen, but she couldn't seem to stop herself from goading him.

"So you can laugh at my answer?" Logan asked dryly. "I think I'll pass."

"Is being laughed at really so terrible?"

"It is when you're not trying to be funny," he answered honestly.

"Fair enough." Veronica fell silent, willing to let the matter drop.

But Logan felt compelled to continue, if only to defend himself against her insinuations that he was shallow. "Okay," he began slowly. "Let's say I were to admit that I consider myself up there on the scale. Maybe a nine. Would you think that I was being unrealistic?"

"I don't think I know you well enough to answer that," she replied. "Although I _do_ feel compelled to point out that vanity is one of the seven deadly sins."

"Well then it's a good thing that I'm not religious," he returned with a smirk. He took another sip of his drink, studying her carefully. "But in all seriousness, this isn't about vanity."

"No?"

"No," he shrugged. "It's an honest evaluation of my assets and my flaws."

Giving up all pretense that they were busy doing something else, everyone seated at the bar listened to them with interest. Veronica twisted her body towards Logan, placing an elbow on the granite surface and looking him in the eye. "Well this I have to hear."

"I know I'm not perfect," he stated. "There are plenty of guys out there who are better looking than me. But this isn't just about looks."

"Oh? So what _is_ it about, then?"

"It's about how I measure up, on the whole, in comparison to others. Taking into account all of the various elements that society deems important. Wouldn't you agree that people place more value on certain skills and abilities than they do on others?"

"Such as?" she urged, barely able to conceal her smile.

"Being well-educated," he replied. "Being financially secure."

"So… wealthy people are worth more than poor people?" she clarified. "And someone who has their Master's degree is more important to the world than someone with a GED?"

"That's not what I said," he corrected her. "I said that our society places more_ value_ on things like intelligence and wealth than it does on other things."

"I notice you're making no distinction between the terms 'well-educated' and 'intelligent', now. Do you think _all_ well-educated people are more intelligent? Or would you be willing to concede that someone can be intelligent without having a good education?"

"Of course," Logan replied, rolling his eyes. "And before you say it, I also agree that having a good education doesn't necessarily make you more intelligent than someone who is uneducated. But it certainly doesn't hurt."

"And do you think it's fair that you've had the advantage of getting a good education, simply because you were born with means? Do you take pride in the fact that you were born an Echolls, and that you get to reap in all of the benefits that having that name implies?"

"No," Logan replied heatedly. "But I _do_ take pride in the fact that I've worked hard to deserve the name." He took a long sip of his beer, using the time to get his composure back. He could feel his heart rate increasing as his frustration began to mount. Veronica was baiting him, and he knew it. And worse, he knew that _she_ knew it- and that she was enjoying herself immensely.

He knew he should end it there, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from continuing. "And, really, that's besides the point," he insisted. "We're not talking about what's fair, we're talking about _reality_."

"Right. So the _reality_ is that you deem yourself better than 90% of the population."

Logan sighed. "Look. You can be as pissed off as you want about the fact that things aren't really as equal as you'd like them to be. The point I was trying to make is that we're all born with strengths and weaknesses. I've made the choice to try and play to my strengths. And that's the best anyone can do."

"So what are your strengths?"

Logan grinned at her, taking a sip of his beer before he replied. "If I tell you, you'll just accuse me of being vain, again."

Veronica caught his meaning clearly. She barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the smug smile on his lips. "Okay, then," she conceded. "What are your weaknesses? What keeps you from being a ten?"

He thought for a moment, as she continued to watch him. The smile disappeared from his lips, and his eyes became serious. "I guess I don't have the best temper," he said with a shrug. "And maybe I'm too quick to judge people, sometimes. But I find I'm usually right the first time. Once someone gets on my bad side…they stay there."

"No second chances, then?" she asked.

"Rarely." Logan paused, realizing that she may have mistook what he'd just said as being about her. He looked at her carefully, hoping she'd understand that the next part _was_ meant for her. "But sometimes I jump to the wrong conclusions about people. And when I do, I regret it." He finished off his beer and set it down on the bar. "So what about you, Veronica? Will you own up to any of your flaws?"

"I'll own up to all of them. I know there are plenty."

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that he couldn't find a single one, at the moment. But he remembered just in time that there were four other people at the bar with them. And, as he looked away from her for the first time since they'd started speaking, he became aware of the fact that they were all listening avidly to his conversation with Veronica.

Logan gestured to Martin to get him another beer; when he glanced back over at Veronica, he kept his tone deliberately light. "Well, none of us is perfect."

"Very true," she agreed. She wanted to say more, but instead looked down at her drink. She, too, had just become aware of the interest the rest of their party was showing in her exchange with Logan- and she didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression. They had been talking so intently that she had become completely absorbed herself, almost forgetting that there were others there at all.

Veronica felt distinctly unsettled- as though she'd just woken up from an intense dream, and she wasn't completely sure yet if she were in the correct reality. But all of the thoughts and feelings that Logan's words had awoken in her were beginning to slip away, as rapidly as the details of a dream. Frowning, she deliberately pushed away all remaining considerations and took a sip of her drink.

Trina and Duncan exchanged glances. Both were surprised that Logan had shown their guest so much interest, but Duncan was far more curious about their interaction than his sister. Knowing his friend as well as he did, he was aware of how unusual it was for Logan to speak so candidly to a stranger. Duncan gave him a questioning look, but Logan's expression revealed nothing.

Madison continued to look from one to the other, trying to figure out what to make of what she'd just witnessed. Although neither one of them had ever raised their voices, she was aware that they'd just been having an argument of some sort… But she wasn't quite sure what it was that they'd been arguing _about_.

And while she knew that an argument between them should be a very good thing for her own cause, the way Logan had been looking at Veronica throughout their exchange had made Madison distinctly uncomfortable. Even now, he couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of her for more than a few seconds at a time. But the look on his face was hard to decipher, and Madison remained unsure about whether or not the tide had just turned in her favor.

"So, what did we decide?" she spoke up, wanting to get his focus back on her. "What does Logan have to do for saying that?"

"Ah, just make him do a shot," Duncan suggested.

"Fine," Logan agreed with a sigh. "Pick the shot."

"How about Tequila?" Madison replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I am _not_ doing a body shot with you, dude," Duncan clarified quickly, remembering Veronica's earlier suggestion.

"_Never?_" Logan asked, pretending to be appalled. "But then how am I supposed to cross that off my bucket list?"

"It'll just have to stay there," Duncan laughed, elbowing him in the side.

Martin set the shot down in front of Logan. Madison waited for Logan to ask for her help, but to her dismay he just downed the shot quickly.

Logan took a couple of swigs of beer, relieved that everything had gone back to being easy and relaxed. He glanced at Veronica, very aware that she'd been silent since their conversation had ended. She didn't seem to be paying attention to what was going on around her, but the expression on her face was thoughtful.

"Well on that note," he said, standing up, "I think I better get out of here before you guys figure out a way to get me to do more shots."

"I believe that first one was _your_ idea," Trina pointed out.

"True enough," he conceded. "I actually just want to grab a shower before dinner. Where are we eating tonight?"

"How about down here?" Duncan suggested. "In an hour or so?"

Everyone agreed and Logan excused himself, walking into the library. As soon as he was by himself, he exhaled a deep breath. Being around Veronica was getting harder and harder. He'd never met anyone like her before- someone who made him think, someone who riled his blood. _Someone who turns me on with her words alone, and then parades around in a tiny little bikini to make it that much worse._

Self-control was one of the things Logan had always prided himself on; one of those strengths he hadn't wanted to admit to Veronica. _But the more time I spend around her, the more it seems to slip away._ Logan felt off-balance; and he knew it had nothing to do with the movement of the ship, or with all of the alcohol he'd just consumed. _It's her. _She's_ doing this to me._ He frowned as he continued walking towards his room, not at all sure that he liked feeling this way.

**xxXxx**

Veronica excused herself shortly after Logan, explaining that she wanted to go check on Meg. In truth, she was just as anxious to have a moment alone as he had been. She walked slowly back to her room, thinking that her natural curiosity about Logan was perhaps better left unexplored. It wasn't that she was actually growing to _like_ him, she told herself firmly. _It's just that he's a little bit more…complex…than I gave him credit for._

There was something about him that made her feel incredibly uncertain of herself, as though she were never quite sure what she would say or do in his presence- and she didn't care for that at all. And, as much as she hated to admit it, she could no longer deny the fact that she was physically attracted to him. _My own body is betraying me,_ she thought with a sigh. _This is what happens when I don't date anyone for months at a time._

She returned to the room to find Meg awake, and well enough to venture out for dinner. Veronica took a quick shower, approaching her closet with trepidation when she was done. Not at all in the mood to wear a dress again, she decided to borrow a pair of jeans from Meg. They were a bit baggy on her, but she didn't care. She found a halter top that wasn't too awful, threw her hair up in a bun, and slipped on a pair of Meg's sandals.

When the two girls ventured back out, Veronica was relieved to find that dinner was being treated as an informal affair. Trays of food had once again been set down on the coffee tables, but people were scattered around the patio, eating where they wished. The sun had almost gone down, and soft overhead lights lit up the area around the bar.

When Duncan spotted Meg, his eyes lit up and he walked over to her immediately. She declined anything to eat, but agreed to sit with him at one of the circular tables. They walked away and Veronica made a plate of food for herself. When she was done, she looked around for somewhere to sit, not wanting to intrude on the two of them.

Her first thought was that she'd sit at the bar and talk to Martin, but she was disappointed to find that he had been replaced by a crew member who she didn't recognize. She would have sat there anyway, but Connor was there by himself. He was drinking a scotch, just as he had last night, and he didn't look as though he were in the mood for company.

Trina, Madison and Logan sat at the other circular table, but there were only three chairs there. When Logan looked up from their conversation to find Veronica standing by herself and looking hesitant, he immediately stood up to get another chair. But the look on Madison's face was so unwelcoming that she waved him away with a smile.

"I'm fine," she insisted. Thinking quickly, she nodded towards the pool. "I'm going to watch the sunset."

So Veronica ate her meal alone, sitting on a chaise and using her lap as a table. Not a solitary creature, by nature, she did find herself missing the lively conversation of the previous night. But she made the best that she could of the situation, appreciating the delicious food and the truly gorgeous landscape before her. The sky had darkened to a deep violet, and the moon was a slender crescent on the horizon.

When she returned to the patio, she found everyone but Meg and Duncan gathered around the bar. She could hear music coming from the small speakers placed in strategic locations throughout the area, and everyone seemed to be keeping the bartender very busy. Madison, in particular, was looking rather tipsy. She sat very close to Logan, looking at him adoringly as he spoke.

Logan usually found Madison's attentions a bit of an annoyance, but tonight he'd found them a welcome distraction. He'd been trying his best not to lead her on for months; but since nothing he said or did seemed to deter her, he didn't really see the point in being careful anymore. He knew nothing was ever going to happen, between them. Not only did he not have any romantic feelings for her, he would never betray Jake's trust like that.

But he was beginning to see the flaw in that plan, as he realized that Madison was reading his increased attention to her as a definite sign of interest. He was glad that Duncan was too diverted by Meg to suspect any misconduct, and that Trina was too buzzed. Veronica, he knew, was too observant _not_ to notice; and he caught her watching them with interest. _But what the hell do _I_ care, if she thinks there's something going on with me and Madison? _

"Have you spoken to Daddy, today?" Madison asked, drawing his attention back. "He told me he was trying to reach you."

"Yeah, I talked to him before dinner," Logan affirmed.

"Could he tell that you were drunk?" she giggled.

"I'm not drunk," he replied. "But maybe you should take it easy."

"I'm _fine_," she insisted, swatting his hand away from her drink. "So what did he say? Can we stop in L.A. before we go home? They have the _best_ shopping there."

Veronica, who hadn't heard about their intentions to travel back to New York, couldn't help but listen in.

"No," Logan replied, taking a sip of his beer. "He wants us to come straight home. He needs the jet for a trip to Tokyo next week, and they have to do maintenance before he leaves."

Both Madison and Trina groaned in disappointment. Logan was lying; he hadn't even asked Jake about the shopping trip. He had no interest in going to L.A., or in dragging out their trip any longer than he had to. _I just want to get back to New York as soon as possible. _

"I thought you were moving out here permanently?" Veronica spoke up. "I mean- I heard you bought that house on Netherfield."

"News travels fast in a small town, huh?" Logan returned, glancing up at her with a wry smile. He took another sip of his beer. "_Duncan_ is moving out her permanently," he clarified. "After he graduates."

"And you?" she asked, before she could stop herself. "Are you coming with him?"

"That's the plan," he replied quietly. "For the summer, anyway."

"We _all_ are," Madison informed her, annoyed that Logan hadn't mentioned that part.

"And we're throwing a big party, when we come back," Duncan announced.

Veronica looked up in surprise. She hadn't noticed that he and Meg had approached the bar. The others looked surprised as well.

"Meg and I just decided," he explained with a wide smile. "What better way to introduce ourselves to everyone?"

No one else shared his enthusiasm, but Trina and Madison quickly pretended that they loved the idea. As soon as Madison became involved in a conversation with Meg about decorations, Logan slipped away. He didn't like to think about spending his upcoming summer vacation in Neptune, and he certainly didn't like _talking_ about it. So he walked into the library, to get away from the noise.

Veronica, who hadn't noticed him leave, came upon him a moment later. He was standing in front of one of the bookcases, looking through the titles, when she walked through the door. She stopped when she saw him, not sure if she should turn back or not. But he glanced up before she'd had time to make that decision.

"Hey," she said. "Sorry, I was just…"

"Trying to escape?" he guessed.

"Actually," she corrected him, "I was heading to my room to get a hoody. It's getting a little chilly out."

"I'm beginning to think," Logan began, as he removed his own hoody, "that this is all part of some wild plot to divest me of every article of clothing I own." He held his jacket out to her with an amused look. When she refused it, as he'd known she would, he continued to keep his arm steady.

Logan showed no signs of wavering, and Veronica rolled her eyes. "Fine," she sighed, snatching the jacket out of his hand. She pulled it on quickly, trying to ignore how warm and soft it was, and how good it smelled. "Thank you."

He nodded, and Veronica wasn't sure what to do next. She felt strangely hesitant to leave him, for some reason. She glanced around the room, searching for a topic of conversation. Spotting a pair of objects just ahead of her, she smiled. "So this friend of Duncan's father," she said slowly, "the one whose yacht this is… He wouldn't happen to be a fellow computer programmer, would he?"

Logan stared at her in surprise. "How did-"

"A software engineer?" she continued. "Someone who launched a revolutionary social networking site, at the tender age of nineteen?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, how the _hell_ did you figure that out?" he demanded. "Did Duncan tell you?"

She grinned, toying with the idea of leaving it a mystery. But then she pointed to the bookcase. "The bookends," she explained. "I noticed them this afternoon. M and Z? Seemed sort of random. Also, there's a framed picture of the word 'like' in the salon. White background, blue print, all lowercase."

"Impressive," he acknowledged, not bothering to mask his amazement.

Veronica shrugged. "My dad's a cop. I've picked up a few tricks." She hesitated, unsure if she should say the next part. "I, uh, couldn't help noticing earlier that you don't seem thrilled with the idea of staying in Neptune, this summer."

Logan couldn't help smiling. "Nothing gets passed you, huh?"

"Not too much," she agreed. She looked down, trying to stop herself from blurting out the question on her mind. But she'd had far too much to drink, and she was far too curious not to ask. She raised her head and looked into his eyes. "I was just wondering… Why do you hate it here so much?"

He looked at her for a moment, not sure how to answer that without offending her. "It's not that I hate it," he tried to explain, glancing up at her. "It's just- my life is in New York."

The truth of that statement really sank in as he spoke it. _My life is in New York. Whatever I feel for her… does it even matter? I'll only be here for a few months, and then I'm going home. It doesn't make sense to get involved with someone who lives 3,000 miles away from me, no matter _how_ I feel. It just doesn't. _

Logan looked at Veronica, who was watching him silently. She looked so adorable in his hoody, her expression for once open and friendly instead of guarded. And he was struck with such an intense feeling of longing that he had to look away. He cleared his throat. "I've got to go call my sister," he said abruptly, his voice rough.

"Okay," she returned slowly, looking at him in some confusion. Veronica had the weirdest feeling, like she'd just been scrutinized and found wanting… again. It left her feeling angry, and a little hurt. _That's what I get for trying to give him a second chance._ "I'm going to head back outside," she said quietly, not meeting his eye. She turned and walked away quickly, without another word.

And for the second night in a row, Logan found himself staring after her.

**A/N There will be one more "yacht" chapter, and then we'll meet the lovely Mr. Collins. This is moving along a bit more slowly than I'd intended. But when I start writing Logan and Veronica dialogue, it always goes in unexpected directions. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed! Please review :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N This is a bit of a pivotal chapter, as I've finally made a decision about which direction to go in on several key plot points. Things will be much more plotty from here on in. **

**Thank you, as always, to the people who took the time to give me such lovely, thoughtful feedback on the last chapter. It's greatly appreciated, and it often provides me with fun ideas for future chapters. Special thanks to shurrei, whose enthusiasm for this story always makes me smile! **

Chapter 8

_Veronica walks slowly down the beach, her eyes cast down. She watches her bare feet sink into the wet sand beneath her, leaving prints that are erased almost instantly by the sweeping surf that laps against her ankles._

_She hears a whisper that could be the wind, or the spray of the ocean; but she knows it's coming from someone standing just behind her. She feels warm breath on her neck, and she smiles. A pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her close. Veronica leans back, resting her head against his chest. "Mmm," she sighs. "Casey."_

"_Not quite."_

_Startled, she spins around and stares up at Logan. His lips are formed into a crooked smile, one eyebrow cocked in amusement. She attempts to step away, but he continues to hold her tightly._

"_As if you didn't know it was me," he says, shaking his head in disapproval._

"_I didn't," she insists. Yet even as she speaks, she realizes that it's a lie._

"_You knew," Logan returns confidently. He presses her close to him, imprisoning her within his arms. "So now that you have me here, what is it that you want to do with me…?" He tilts his head and leans down, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispers. "Don't bother denying it, Veronica. We both know that you know _exactly_ what you want to do with me."_

"_No," she protests weakly._

"_Tell me," he demands, running his fingertips along the side of her neck. "Tell me, and I might let you do it." _

_A shiver of excitement runs up her spine, and she finally stops resisting his grasp. She reaches towards him, cupping her hand around the base of his neck and pulling him closer to her. "Kiss me."_

Veronica awoke with a start, her breathing rapid and her heart pounding. She looked around the room in confusion, trying to figure out where she was and what had just happened. There was no one in bed with her, despite the lingering sensation of a man's arms wrapped tightly around her. She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake the memory of the dream away. _But it was so vivid…_

After a few deep breaths, she sat up and looked over at Meg's bed; it was empty, and already made. She caught a glimpse of something white on Meg's pillow, and got up to take a look. It was a note from her sister, telling her that she'd gone up to breakfast already and hadn't wanted to disturb her.

Veronica sat down gingerly on the edge of Meg's bed, her mind far away. She couldn't help wondering over her dream, the intensity and the realism of it. The way she'd _felt _the gritty sand below her feet, _smelled_ the salt in the air… And Logan- the possessive way he'd held her, the compelling force of his gaze. How he'd taunted her, so sure that she would bend to his will.

She shook her head, angry that her subconscious mind had made her into a weak little kitten. _And angry that I enjoyed it_. Veronica brushed that thought away quickly. _Really_, she decided, _there's no mystery to this_. _What did I dream about? The ocean that I've been staring at incessantly for the last three days. And who did I dream about? One of the people who I'm stuck with on this boat. That's all there is to it._

Refusing to think about it for a second longer, she stood up and headed towards the shower.

**xxXxx**

Logan wasn't at breakfast. Veronica noticed this fact immediately, but chose not to remark on it. Instead, she sat down quietly next to Meg at the table, feeling rather relieved that she didn't have to face him so soon after her dream.

But she wasn't the only one at the table dwelling on Logan's absence; Madison remarked on it before Veronica had been seated a full minute.

"I guess Logan's sleeping in this morning, huh?" she asked no one in particular.

"Guess so," Duncan replied distractedly. Despite several attempts to finish his breakfast, his eyes never strayed from Meg for very long. It seemed there was always some new sight to admire when he looked her way. How she sipped on her tea so daintily, her little finger risen in the air… Or how her hair shone like gold in the sunlight streaming in through the window, falling in soft waves over her shoulders.

Unaware of her brother's preoccupation, Madison turned to face him. "Have you seen him yet?"

After a brief silence, Duncan realized she was addressing him and glanced in her direction. "Uh, no. Not yet. But it's only ten-thirty. I'm sure he'll be up here soon."

She frowned. "I haven't seen him since after dinner last night. Have any of you guys?" Madison looked around the table, her gaze stopping on Veronica. "Have _you_?"

Disliking Madison's tone, Veronica didn't respond right away. She took her time spreading a thin layer of butter over her toast before glancing back up at her. "Not since last night."

"_When_ last night?"

Veronica shrugged, again not replying immediately. She felt hesitant to answer her question, for some reason. Aside from her short-lived bout of friendliness the previous day on the pool deck, Madison hadn't bothered to say more than a handful of words to her since their first meeting_. But now, because _Logan_ is involved, she's suddenly grilling me like a freaking NYPD detective._

So her obstinacy rose to the forefront, as it often did when she was being pushed, and she remained silent as she stirred her tea slowly._ I have no idea where he is. But there's no harm in letting her wonder, for a minute, is there?_ _I'm sure she's imagining all kinds of fun scenarios._ A quick glance at Madison's sour expression confirmed that she was indeed thinking the worst, and Veronica was forced to look down to hide her smile.

In truth, Veronica hadn't seen Logan since their discussion in the library, the previous evening. He hadn't returned to the pool while she'd remained out there, but she'd only stayed for another hour or so before she'd gone back to her room. She figured that he'd met back up with everyone else at some point after she left. _But I guess he never came back._

His failure to return to the pool, coupled with his absence at breakfast, _did_ seem a bit unusual to Veronica. And she couldn't help wondering if his sudden disappearance from their midst had something to do with her. She thought back to the way he'd looked at her in the library. His expression had been hard to read, an odd mixture of emotions.

Initially, she'd read it as dissatisfaction at the prospect of staying in Neptune for the entire summer, combined with something like disappointment. That had stemmed, she'd assumed, from being in her company. _Why _else_ would he have made up that lame excuse about having to call his sister? No, I'm certain he said it to try and get away from me._

_Then again, maybe he does this a lot- just takes off and does his own thing. I don't know his habits well enough to know if this is normal behavior for him or not. _Madison_ certainly seems to think it strange. Of course, she pretty much documents the position of every strand of his hair, so…_

As if to prove her point, Madison continued on. "You were wearing his jacket last night. You _must_ have seen him." Her eyes narrowed accusatorily at Veronica, as though wearing his hoody was solid proof that she and Logan were carrying on an illicit affair.

Before Veronica had a chance to respond, Duncan burst out laughing. "This isn't 1955, Mad. Just because Veronica was wearing his jacket doesn't mean they're going steady."

Veronica smiled, grateful to him for breaking up the tension. She turned back to Madison, who didn't seem to appreciate the joke, and finally replied, "He loaned it to me just after dinner. I haven't seen him since."

Madison frowned, glancing from Connor to Trina to Duncan. "Doesn't that seem weird to you guys?"

"Nope," Duncan replied.

"No, not really," Trina agreed, taking a sip of her coffee. Connor just shrugged.

"But what if something happened to him? What if he fell overboard?"

Duncan snorted and rolled his eyes at his younger sister. "_Logan_?" he repeated incredulously. "Haven't you ever seen him on a surfboard? People with balance like that don't fall overboard."

"But this just isn't like him," Madison insisted.

"Are you kidding?" Trina spoke up. "Don't you remember when he took off for, like, a week last year, without telling anyone where he was going?"

"No…" she replied uncertainly.

"She was away at Dalton when that happened," Duncan reminded Trina. "She wouldn't remember that."

Veronica glanced up at Madison, confused. _Dalton? Is that a school?_ _I thought she went to Claremont, with Duncan and Logan? Unless that's only recent… _She took a sip of her tea, thinking. _That would make sense, actually._

She'd learned from Meg that Logan had moved in with the Kane's when he was fourteen years old; this meant he'd been living with them for three years. Veronica had thought it unusual that Madison had romantic feelings for someone who she should by all rights think of as a brother. _But if Madison has spent the majority of her time away at school, that explains why she and Logan don't have the same type of sibling relationship that Logan and Trina seem to have._

Madison frowned, disliking Duncan and Trina's insinuation that she wasn't as close to Logan as they were. She especially didn't like them discussing it in front of Veronica. As far as she was concerned, personal details about Logan's relationship with her family- particularly, his relationship with _her_- were none of Veronica's business.

But the reality was, she _didn't_ know Logan as well as they did. She'd been away at boarding school in Connecticut when he'd moved in with her family, and for the next two years she'd only seen him on holidays. It wasn't until she'd come back from vacationing with her family, the summer before her sophomore year, that she'd started to appreciate how handsome he was. And, more importantly, how handsome all of her _friends_ thought he was.

So she'd convinced her parents to let her transfer to Claremont, where she'd quickly discovered that he was considered the ultimate catch among the female (and some of the male) population. It took some time to persuade her over-protective older brother to let her tag along at parties, but she eventually wormed her way into their social circle.

She'd spent the last eight months trying to win him over, to no avail. _But last night, it finally seemed to be working. _Madison glared at Veronica, who was looking out the window with a thoughtful expression on her face. _And then he takes off without a word, and the next thing I know _she_ comes back wearing his jacket. _She clenched her fist beneath the table._ There is no way in _hell_ I'm letting this trashy little nobody get her hands on him._

Hearing Logan's name, Madison looked up. She'd been too angry to notice that Trina and Duncan had been continuing the conversation without her. Slowly, as her anger waned, she began to pay attention to what they were saying.

"…those mysterious weekend trips he's always taking. Dad's the only one who knows where he goes," Duncan was saying. He turned to Meg. "He doesn't even tell _me_ his plans, most of the time."

"And I'm sure you've noticed how much time he spends in his room," Trina pointed out. She made a face. "Although, that may have less to do with wanting privacy, and more to do with something _else_… Which I'd really rather not discuss while I'm eating. Or ever, for that matter."

"But you guys are acting like this is totally normal," Madison spoke up again. "Since when is Logan anti-social? He's at practically every party there is."

"True," Trina agreed, considering. "I'd hardly call him a loner."

Duncan continued to shake his head. "Look, I know him better than either of you, all right? And I'm telling you he's fine. I mean, come on. We're talking about the guy who stayed home alone last summer, instead of going on vacation with us."

"Well, it _was_ a family vacation," Trina pointed out. "Can you blame him for not wanting to have Mom up his ass for two months?"

"It wasn't like the six of us were packed into a Winnebago, going cross country," Duncan laughed. "We went to the French Riviera. Who passes that up?"

"Topless beaches full of gorgeous women?" Connor spoke up. "I agree. It was _totally_ worth putting up with Celeste's bullshit."

Trina shot him a look, but said nothing.

"But he _wasn't _alone," Madison reminded them. "He was with Heather. And didn't that friend of his stay with them, too, for most of the summer?"

Seeing that his sister wasn't going to give up until she'd gotten her way, Duncan sighed and set his fork down. "Fine. I'll go check on him and make sure he's okay. Happy?"

Madison smiled, always glad when her persistence paid off. "Yes."

Duncan turned to Meg, attempting to hide his irritation at having their breakfast interrupted. "I'm sorry; I'll be back in a second, okay?"

"Sure," she agreed. "I hope he's okay."

"He's fine," Duncan assured her. "Or at least he will be, until I barge in on him for no good reason." He stood up and tossed his napkin on the table, then walked quickly from the room.

Meg watched him leave with a wistful expression that only her sister noticed. Veronica smiled and took a sip of her tea. She glanced down at her plate, realizing that she'd been so distracted by the Kane's conversation that she'd forgotten to eat her toast. She took a bite, thinking about what she'd just heard as she chewed slowly.

Madison and Duncan had painted two completely different pictures of Logan, and she wasn't sure which one was closer to the truth. If Duncan's version was right, Logan's absence could easily be explained away by the fact that he liked his privacy. _But if Madison is right, and he's normally a social butterfly... well then he may just be avoiding me, after all._

**xxXxx**

"_Jeremy, please! Get away from there, it's too dangerous! The cops are on their way…"_

"_Hang on, I just want to see if… Jesus, there's a kid in the back seat. Poor thing. I wonder if- holy shit, he just moved! He's alive!"_

_Logan opens his eyes. Everything is dark and blurry, and there's so much pain… He tries to move, but something is pinning him down. The odor of burning rubber and gasoline fills his nostrils. A man's face is hovering over him; a man with a black beard who he doesn't recognize. He turns his head away, trying to get his bearings, and what he sees makes him choke. "Mom?"_

_He hears a sound, a rhythmic tapping, and his mother's face fades into shadow…_

"Logan? Hey, buddy, you okay?"

He opened his eyes to see, not a bearded stranger, but Duncan's familiar face hovering over him. Logan blinked and sat up with a start. As always, part of him was relieved that it had only been a dream; yet part of him was deeply disappointed. He ran a hand through his hair, discovering that it was damp with perspiration, and looked at his friend in confusion.

"What- what are you doing in here? Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all," Duncan replied. He opened his mouth to ask Logan if something was wrong with _him_, but he closed it again quickly. He'd lived with Logan long enough to discover that his friend was occasionally troubled by nightmares. Although certain he knew the reason for them, he would never ask Logan to relive that terrible night. "I'm sorry to wake you. It's just you didn't answer when I knocked, and I started wondering if Madison might have reason to be concerned."

"Madison?" Logan asked groggily. "What does she have to do with it?"

Duncan rolled his eyes. "She was worried that something was wrong with you. You know, since you disappeared last night without telling anyone. And then, when you didn't show up for breakfast…" He laughed shortly. "You know how she gets. Especially when _you're_ involved."

Logan caught the disapproving tone in his voice, but didn't remark on it. The last thing he felt like talking about was Madison. "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven."

"And is- everyone already up at breakfast?"

"Yup, the whole crew," Duncan confirmed. "You coming up?"

"No," Logan replied quickly. Duncan looked at him in surprise, and Logan sat up straighter. "Well there doesn't seem to be much point. It's almost lunch time."

"True."

"So are we actually _going_ anywhere today?" he asked. "Or will there just be more pointless circling around?"

"I guess I'll see what the others want to do," Duncan answered with a shrug.

"Screw what the others want to do. Let's drop anchor by Catalina and take the jet skis out, like we planned." Logan stretched lazily. "I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel a little cooped up."

He paused, remembering that Veronica had been concerned about that very thing, before they'd gotten on board. _And I assured her that it wouldn't be a problem on a boat this big._ Logan looked down, a wry smile on his lips. _I also worried that I wouldn't get to see as much of her as I liked. Now I realize I've seen far too much of her for my own damn good. What a difference a few days makes._

"Yeah, all right," Duncan agreed easily. "Let's do it."

Logan looked up and nodded, relieved. It was going to take some creativity on his part, if his plan to avoid Veronica was going to work. _But I only have one more day and night to worry about, and then both of us are off of this boat for good. After that, she can get back to her life in Neptune, and I can get back to my life in New York. And we can both pretend this trip was nothing more than a dream._

**XxXxx**

Veronica stared out at the ocean, watching the two figures criss-crossing through the waves on their jet skis rather jealously. She wished now that she'd taken Duncan up on his offer to go out with them. But Logan's expression hadn't been particularly inviting, when his friend had mentioned it earlier, so she'd declined.

She sighed heavily and walked away from the railing, turning back towards the three girls who sat poolside. Meg and Trina were seated beneath one of the large beach umbrellas, chatting away happily about this and that, while Madison lounged in the sun in yet another stunning bikini. She turned her head occasionally to chime in on the girls' conversation, but ignored Veronica entirely.

Veronica didn't mind being snubbed. It spared her the aggravation of trying to make polite small talk with someone who she had absolutely nothing in common with. She'd been doubtful that her first impression of Madison as a spoiled, vapid girl would change much, upon getting to know her better. And, sure enough, being around her these last few days had done nothing but deepen her initial dislike.

Trina could be pleasant enough, when she wanted to be. Veronica had no doubt that she didn't care for her company any more than Madison did, but she was never as outwardly rude. Towards Meg, they were both like different people- kind, accommodating and friendly. Yet Veronica didn't trust that their affection for her sister was genuine. She suspected it was more due to their brother's obvious fondness for Meg than any real interest in being her friend.

_And there's no one else for them to talk to, at the moment,_ Veronica reminded herself. Connor was working out up in the gym, and Duncan and Logan had been out on the water for the last couple of hours. _If there were any other male guests on this boat, I have no doubt they'd be lavishing their attention on _them_, instead. I guess boredom makes strange bedfellows._

Veronica blushed, suddenly recalling her dream, and found herself watching one of the two figures on the jet skis. Logan had been different, today. Sort of quiet and withdrawn. When she'd run into him and Duncan in the salon, just before they'd gone out on the water, he'd barely said a word beyond "hello". Instead he'd remained silent, almost gloomy, while she and Duncan had exchanged pleasantries.

_Yet another side to Logan Echolls, I suppose. He certainly never seems to be in the same mood twice._

She continued to observe him later, over lunch. The weather had become suddenly cool and overcast, so they'd opted to eat in the main dining room. Logan was seated between the Kane sisters (due in large part to Madison's maneuvering), and Veronica sat directly across the table from him.

While he seemed in slightly better spirits than he had earlier, Veronica couldn't help noticing that Logan was speaking to everyone _except_ her. As soon as she'd join in on a discussion that he was a part of, he would swiftly begin a new conversation with someone else.

Yet she did catch him looking at her, several times throughout the meal. Confused by his strange behavior, Veronica would quickly look away every time their eyes met. But after the fourth or fifth occasion, she stared back at him boldly until he was forced to speak.

"You're not eating your chicken," he observed.

"No," she agreed.

"Any particular reason?" Logan inquired, raising an eyebrow. "If the way you devoured that hamburger yesterday is any indication, I'd guess you're no vegetarian."

"Or if I am, I'm not very good at it," she smiled.

Veronica knew he expected her to elaborate. When she didn't, he set his fork and knife down and leaned back in his chair, regarding her curiously. "Don't like the flavor?"

She glanced up at Alain, who was still on hand to serve. As much as she didn't feel like explaining herself to Logan, her desire not to offend the guys who worked in the galley over-ruled that. "No, nothing like that," she replied, growing uncomfortable.

"Well, what then?" he pressed.

"It's the pesto sauce," she finally admitted. "I'm allergic to pine nuts."

Logan's lips quirked up in a smile. "Why didn't you just say so?" He gestured to Alain, who had overheard and was already attempting to remove her plate.

"Miss Mars," Alain said, "Please, let me get you something else."

"No, no, I'm fine," Veronica insisted, trying to hold onto her plate. Aware that everyone else was now watching her, she felt her face flush with embarrassment. "There's plenty of other stuff to eat. Honestly, I'm not even hungry."

But Alain would hear none of her protests, especially after Duncan found out about the mistake and began to apologize profusely. Veronica finally gave in, thoroughly flustered and unsure of what else to do. As soon as Alain had gone, Trina commented on the ineptitude of the kitchen staff for not asking if anyone had food allergies, and Madison remarked how happy she was that _she_ wasn't allergic to anything.

Veronica glared at Logan, who was looking rather pleased with himself. "Thanks for that," she muttered.

"Well it _is _their job," he pointed out.

She didn't reply, and Logan could see that she was genuinely bothered by what had just occurred. He couldn't help thinking back to the last date he'd gone on, a week or so before he'd left for Neptune. The girl had made such a scene about the fact that the salad dressing hadn't been brought out on the side that _he'd_ been the one looking around in embarrassment.

He found himself speculating on how Veronica would have handled that situation, had he been on the date with her, instead. _She would've eaten the entire salad without a word of complaint_, he suddenly realized. _And had I noticed the mistake, she would have stubbornly refused that she'd ordered it any differently than how it had been served._

Logan picked his fork back up and continued eating slowly, glancing back up at Veronica to see if she still looked mad. She didn't; on the contrary, she was already laughing with her sister. He looked back down at his plate, aggravated by his unwavering preoccupation with her. He tried to recall the girl from his date as a distraction- a brunette, she'd been pretty- but her features were blurred in his mind. _Damn._ _I can't even remember her name. Whitney? Winnie?_

He stabbed a piece of chicken with his fork, then turned toward Trina in an attempt to divert his attention elsewhere. But she was talking to Meg and Veronica about the upcoming party. Not wanting to encourage Madison, who had been "accidentally" brushing her arm against his throughout the meal, he had no choice but to listen to what they were discussing.

"And obviously you two will have to give us the list of people to invite," Trina was saying. "Do you know any single boys, for my little sister?" She turned to Madison with a smirk that only she and Logan could see. Madison just barely managed to hide her disgust at the implication that she'd _ever_ date someone who they were friends with.

"Well," Veronica began. "There's always Dick." She and Meg exchanged glances, and both girls burst out laughing.

"You know someone named Dick?" Connor asked with a grin. He was seated to Veronica's left and he'd been talking to her throughout most of the meal. His increased attentions towards her hadn't escaped Logan's notice.

"We do," Veronica confirmed. "And he certainly lives up to his name."

"Oh, be nice," Meg scolded her. She gave Trina a secretive smile. "He's incredibly devoted to my sister."

"So you guys are, like, dating?" Trina asked Veronica.

Logan glanced up to see her reaction, but her expression remained blank as she shook her head no. She reached for her water and took a long sip, as Trina looked from Veronica to Meg.

"Did they _used_ to date?" she questioned Meg.

"He wishes," Meg replied with a grin, nudging her sister in the side. Veronica was beginning to feel distinctly uncomfortable again, but she stayed silent. She opened her mouth to change the subject, but Trina was determined to continue her investigation.

"Is he cute?" Trina asked.

"Umm…" Veronica replied. "Ish."

"Stop it, he's adorable," Meg insisted. "He's tall, blond, a surfer- about to go pro, actually."

"Blond?" Logan spoke up. "Well, that's the problem. I happen to know that Veronica prefers dark-haired men."

"And you've based this observation on what, exactly?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Logan grinned and glanced over at Connor, and Veronica's face turned pink. His grin widened, but he had no intention of tattling about her former crush on the actor. "Well, there was that guy at your uncle's party," he pointed out. "Your cousin Mac told me you two used to date."

Veronica, who had no idea Logan had even _met_ Mac, tried to hide her surprise. _When did they have time to discuss my relationship history? And how the hell did that topic even come up in conversation?_

"Who, Casey?" Meg asked, glancing at her sister with a knowing smile. "_He's_ just as bad as-"

"We broke up months ago," Veronica interrupted, quietly but firmly. She'd had enough of being the center of attention for one day. And she certainly didn't want to get into the details of her brief but steamy relationship with Casey over lunch. _Especially not in front of this group._

To her relief, Alain showed up then with her pesto-free chicken; and Trina was distracted enough by the interruption to switch topics. Veronica ate her lunch in silence, completely unaware that the gentleman seated across from her couldn't manage to keep his eyes off of her for the remainder of the meal.

**xxXxx**

After lunch, everyone decided to head up to the salon. But Duncan, noticing that Logan was hanging back, chose to stay seated at the table with his friend. There was something he wanted to bring up, but he wasn't sure how Logan would feel about it. Before he got the chance to broach the topic, Logan started speaking.

"Hey," he asked lightly, "Do you remember the name of that girl I went out with, a couple of weeks ago? Phil's cousin, the ballet dancer?"

"Wendy?" Duncan supplied.

"Right. Wendy."

Duncan looked at him curiously. "What made you think about her?"

Logan shrugged. "I don't know. She was hot, right?"

"Yeah, she was," Duncan confirmed. "But you couldn't stand her. Remember? You said she was 'uptight and uninteresting'. You pretended to be sick and dropped her off early." He laughed. "Any of this ringing a bell?"

"Huh. Yeah, it's sort of coming back to me now." Logan reached for a bottle of wine and filled up his glass. "So, are you serious about this party?"

"Of course. It'll be a great way to meet everyone, when we get back."

"And the perfect excuse to see Meg, again," Logan observed.

"Well, yeah," Duncan smiled. He cleared his throat. "So, um, speaking of Meg… well I thought it might be sort of nice if we all got dressed up for dinner tonight."

"Why?" Logan asked. "I thought we were just gonna have dinner on the ship?"

"We are. But I was thinking about the whole situation with Veronica, and her clothes, and I feel bad that her sister played that prank on her… I just don't want her to feel out of place, again. I thought it would be a nice gesture if _everyone_ got dressed up, this time."

Logan sighed. "Why do I feel like I'm stuck in a Jane Austen novel?"

"Because I'm determined to prove that chivalry isn't dead," Duncan replied with a grin. "So did you bring anything nice?"

"Yeah, I brought a couple of things," Logan said slowly. "In case we went to Catalina, or wherever."

"So…" Duncan prompted. "Are you game?"

Logan took a sip of his wine as he considered. "You really think you're going to convince Trina and Madison to do this?"

"You're asking if I can talk my sisters into showing off their newest purchases?" Duncan joked. "Yeah, I'm sure I'll really have to twist their arms."

Logan swirled his wine, watching the red liquid cling briefly to the curved side of the glass before cascading back down. He was reminded of their first night on the boat, when he'd poured the Pinot for Veronica… and that red satin dress she'd worn, the way it had clung to _her _every curve. He couldn't help but wonder what other treasures she had packed in that suitcase of hers.

"Fine," he replied shortly, feigning annoyance. "But only if you talk everyone else into this scheme too. _Including_ Connor."

"I'm on it," Duncan grinned. "Come on, let's go up to the salon."

"I'll be up in a little bit," Logan replied absently. "I have a couple of calls to make."

Duncan nodded and left the room, used to his friend's constant business obligations. But instead of reaching for his cell phone, Logan continued to stare into his wine glass, deep in thought.

**xxXxx**

Veronica was sitting in the library before dinner, reading an old Agatha Christie novel she'd discovered earlier that day, when she was interrupted by the sound of Logan's voice. She glanced up to see him on his cell phone. Absorbed in his phone call, he walked farther into the salon without seeing her, disappearing around the corner.

But his voice carried, and she couldn't help but overhear his conversation. He spoke very brusquely and with authority, no trace of his usual humor or sarcasm in his tone.

"Yes, the project I asked you about earlier," he said impatiently. "What have you found out?" He listened in silence for a moment, and then continued. "Well I appreciate your advice, but _I'm_ the one who gets to make that decision. I finished reading the script today and I think it has potential. Just give me a realistic number."

Veronica caught a glimpse of Logan as he walked back towards her side of the room, but she remained unnoticed to him. He paused and stood listening for a moment, his back to her. "No, I don't want to cut corners. I want to do it right. Who's attached so far?"

He turned and walked away again, his voice still carrying clearly. "Uh-huh… Okay… Yeah, she's decent… Well, it was a shitty film, but she was pretty good in it… Who'd they cast as David...? Never heard of him, what's he been in...? I see. And whose bright idea was that?"

Logan laughed suddenly. "Of course it was. I take it she's representing him personally...? Well _that _should make things more interesting. Alright, so who's playing Corey? Is he one of hers too?" He appeared from around the corner again, pacing back towards the window. But he stopped walking abruptly, and his voice got very loud. "_What?_" he demanded.

Veronica watched him, hand on his hip as he listened, shoulders tense. Her curiosity was killing her, but all she could do was listen silently. "Absolutely not," Logan snapped. "I don't give a shit who signed what. Get him off the project." He paused, listening for a moment. "No, you _don't_ know. You have no idea." He stood quietly for a moment, and then sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll talk to her myself. I'll call you later."

He ended his call, and immediately began to dial another number. After several seconds, he started speaking again. "It's me. We need to discuss your questionable choice in clients. Call me as soon as you get this." Logan pushed a button on his phone and slipped it into his pocket. Veronica heard him sigh again, but she was spared having to make a decision about whether or not to reveal her presence by the sudden appearance of Duncan.

"Hey," Logan greeted him. "You ready to get your ass kicked?"

"You wish," Duncan laughed.

They disappeared around the corner, and Veronica could hear the sound of billiard balls clacking together as they were racked. "Care to make it interesting?" Logan asked. She couldn't believe how quickly he'd reverted back to his usual demeanor. His tone of voice was easy and relaxed, as though nothing at all were wrong. But something about that phone call had upset him greatly; Veronica was sure of it.

She was a little disturbed by his ability to slip into another role so easily. _Anyone who can do that is capable of hiding a great deal. So what is it that he's concealing? What project is he talking about, and who is it that he doesn't want to work with so much?_ Her head was full of questions.

Yet she didn't want Logan to know that she'd overheard his conversation. She thought he'd get angry with her for not letting him know that she was there, even though she hadn't intended to listen in on his private affairs. Thinking quickly, Veronica stood up and walked quietly to the door that led to the pool deck.

She opened it and then closed it noisily. She cleared her throat and walked through the narrow library and into the main deck salon, looking up at Duncan and Logan as though she were surprised at their presence. "Oh, hey."

"Hey," Duncan greeted her with a smile. "What are you up to?"

"Just out by the pool, reading," she replied with an easy smile, holding up the book in her hand.

Logan glanced at it curiously, reading the title. "Murder with Mirrors?"

"What can I say, I love a good mystery," she replied, suppressing a smile at the irony. "But it got a little chilly outside, so I thought I'd come in here."

"Well, if this is all part of your clever ploy to acquire more of my clothing, you're out of luck," Logan smirked, motioning to his t-shirt. "Unless you intend to leave me half naked."

"Very funny," Veronica replied, making a face. Logan smiled but didn't look up. She watched him sink the two ball into the corner pocket effortlessly, and then walk around the table to line up his next shot. Refusing to look impressed by his obvious skill, she glanced over at Duncan. "Is Meg still with your sisters?"

"Yeah. They're watching _The Notebook_, so I thought I'd leave them to it."

"Because you didn't want her to see you cry?" Logan teased.

"No," Duncan denied, although his face flushed pink. "I had- other stuff to do."

"Right," Logan stated dryly. "An urgent game of pool with me."

"I was on the phone with my father, I'll have you know. He said something about a tour of the new facility-"

"I know all about it," Logan interrupted him. "I talked to him after lunch. We're supposed to meet the contractor at two o'clock tomorrow, at the job site."

Duncan seemed unsurprised at Logan's knowledge of the plan, simply nodding his consent. But Veronica thought it a little unusual. If the rumors were to be believed, Duncan was the intended heir to the Kane Software throne. _He_ was the one who was supposedly being groomed for greatness. Yet Logan clearly played an important role in that plan.

It was interesting, Veronica noted, that Duncan always seemed completely comfortable deferring to Logan. _Even though _he's_ the older one_. She wondered if it was just a natural side effect of his more easy-going personality coming up against Logan's more dominant personality, or if there were something else to it.

She couldn't help thinking it a bit strange that Jake Kane had filled Logan in on all of the details of this upcoming meeting before he'd told his son. _And then there was last night; Madison mentioned that she and Trina wanted to go on some shopping trip, yet _Logan_ was the one who'd asked his permission. Why is it that he's acting as spokesperson for Jake, instead of one of his own children?_

Veronica was completely unaware that she'd been staring at Logan for a full minute, as these questions flowed through her mind. But he was incredibly conscious of her focus on him; and, a bit flustered, he missed his shot. Duncan whooped at his friend's rare mistake, and the sound pulled Veronica out of her reverie. She watched Duncan as he quickly took a shot on the eleven ball, which missed the side pocket but rebounded and went into the corner.

"Ha!" Duncan exclaimed happily. He moved to take his next shot, but Logan spoke up.

"Oh, give me a break. You got that in by accident."

"Who says I wasn't trying for the corner pocket the whole time?" Duncan grinned. "Besides, we never made calling our shots a rule."

"It shouldn't have to be explicitly stated," Logan disagreed. "It's _always _a rule."

"I didn't hear you calling any of _your_ shots," Duncan pointed out.

"Because it was obvious what I was aiming for. If I hadn't made the shot, I would've done the honorable thing."

"Are you questioning my _honor_?" Duncan asked in mock horror, pressing his palm to his chest as though offended. He turned to Veronica. "What's your opinion on this, as a disinterested third party?"

"That I should stay out of it," she laughed. "But if you'd like, I could see if there are any dueling pistols on board."

Logan grinned, glancing at Duncan. "Well that's one way to settle it. Although it would be a shame to have to kill you over something so minor…"

"Oh fine," Duncan gave in. "Your turn."

"No, you go," Logan smirked. "We'll call it a handicap."

Duncan made a face, but walked around the table to take his next shot. Before he got a chance, the intercom buzzed. It was one of the crew, informing Duncan that the captain was asking to speak with him. He sighed and turned to Veronica. "You know how to play?"

"Uh, yeah, but-"

He handed his pool cue to her, ignoring her protests. "Make my day and beat him, will you? I have a hundred bucks riding on this game, and it's yours if you manage to put Logan in his place."

Veronica set her book down on the end table and took the pool cue silently, unsure what else to do. And the next thing she knew, she and Logan were alone, staring at each other from across the table. There was a moment of silence as they each wondered how they'd gotten stuck in this situation- although he was much less opposed to it than he wanted to admit.

Finally, Logan cleared his throat. "Your shot," he reminded her, nodding at the table.

"Uh, right." Veronica took a moment to consider her options, and then walked around the table to take a long shot on the thirteen ball. She looked up at Logan. "Thirteen in the corner," she said pointedly.

"Obviously."

"Well, I wouldn't want you to question my honor." He couldn't help smiling, as she easily made the shot. She walked closer to where he stood, aiming at the nine ball. "Nine ball off the rail, side pocket."

"Now you're getting fancy," he remarked, raising an eyebrow.

She smiled but didn't look up. It was a tricky shot, one she often had trouble with, and she took her time and focused. To her delight, she made it in smoothly. Veronica carefully hid her surprise from Logan, not wanting him to sense any insecurity.

"Very nice," he complimented, impressed. "Looks like I've finally found a worthy opponent."

"Thank you," she replied. She studied the table again. She was just trying to decide if she should risk going for the twelve ball, which was precariously close to the eight, when Logan's phone began to buzz loudly. "It's a good thing I wasn't taking my shot," she pointed out. "We may've needed those dueling pistols to determine if that counted as interference."

Logan laughed as he dug his phone out of his pocket, but his smile faded when he saw the name on the display. He pushed a button to answer the call. "Hey. Can you hang on a minute?" He glanced over at Veronica. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."

"So you're defaulting, then? Because if so, it seems to me that Duncan wins the bet." Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she spoke. "I think that's the only _honorable _thing to do, don't you?"

"Fine," Logan sighed, unable to put up a proper fight while she looked at him with those big blue eyes. "But I want a re-match."

She nodded her assent and hung up her pool cue on the wall. He put the phone back up to his ear and began walking out of the room. But she couldn't help overhearing the beginning of his conversation, as he left.

"Hey… No one you know… So I take it you got my message…? Yeah, well that's because I _am_ pissed off. I thought your days of dumpster diving for clients were passed you…?"

Veronica strained to hear more, but Logan was almost out of earshot. She walked quietly to the open door, which he had just gone through, watching him as he hurried through the lobby toward the spiral staircase. "Oh, really? Then explain to me why the _hell_ you decided to represent…" The rest of his conversation was lost, as he headed quickly down the stairs.

She walked slowly over to the end table to get her book, wondering if Agatha Christie was to blame for her most recent bout of eavesdropping. Veronica was well aware that, like Jane Marple, she suffered from an incurable case of curiosity. And the Kane family was turning out to be an absolutely fascinating study.

It had been surprisingly entertaining, observing them over the past few days. Unobtrusive and largely overlooked, it had been all too easy for her to watch and listen without drawing notice. Her opinions of each were now solidly formed, and she was satisfied that her first impressions had all proven correct. _Except…_

She hesitated, thinking about Logan. He was by far the most complex of the bunch. Certainly the most guarded, he was often difficult to read. _He has more facets to his personality than a prism._ _Just when I think I have him figured out, he takes a mysterious phone call and I'm back at square one._ She glanced down at her book with a wry smile. _So the plot thickens_…

Veronica heard footsteps coming towards her and she set her book down quickly, as though it were evidence of her guilt. She assumed that it was Logan coming back to finish the game, and she unconsciously straightened her posture in preparation for another battle. But when she looked up, she saw Meg's smiling face instead.

"_There's_ my favorite anti-social sister," Meg teased, walking over to her. "Come on, let's get ready for dinner." She linked her arm in Veronica's, patting her hand encouragingly. "Just one more night, I know you can do it."

"Yeah," Veronica replied softly, allowing Meg to lead her from the room. "One more night."

**xxXxx**

Logan sat down on the leather couch in the salon, feeling both restless and uncomfortable in his suit pants and silk button-down shirt. He'd forgone the tie and jacket, refusing to get that formal, but he was still questioning the necessity of wearing this particular outfit. _How the hell did I let myself get talked into this?_

But somehow, Duncan had managed to get everyone else to go along with his crazy scheme, too. He suspected that Trina and Madison were only doing it to show off their superior wardrobes, while Connor was too vain to pass up a chance to impress the ladies with his suave fashion sense. Logan had already caught him looking at himself in the mirror twice.

Dinner was about to be served, and he knew Meg and Veronica would be joining them at any moment. He took a sip of his wine, determined to appear composed and completely unaffected when they walked in. It hadn't been easy to stick to his resolution to avoid Veronica. In fact, as the day had gone on, it had become increasingly more difficult.

The beginning of the day had been simple enough. He'd skipped breakfast, kept himself busy with Duncan for most of the afternoon, and almost made it completely through lunch without speaking to her once. _But then I did speak to her. Then, through no fault of my own, we ended up playing pool together. Alone. And all that did was confirm that these… feelings I have for her don't seem to be going away. _

Meg and Veronica entered the room before he had a chance to prepare himself any more. He inhaled silently and forced himself to look up. Veronica was dressed in a calf-length black dress and heels that made her several inches taller. Her hair was up in a neat twist, and she wore just enough makeup to enhance her natural beauty. When she turned to address Duncan, Logan saw that the back of her dress dipped down into a deep V that left most of her back exposed. She looked stunning, and he looked away.

Veronica smiled broadly at Duncan, as she registered what he was wearing. She glanced around the room, only to find that everyone _else_ had gotten dressed up too. Even Logan, in an exquisitely tailored shirt of pale blue, and dark grey pants that fit him like a glove. He sat on the couch, drinking a glass of wine and looking every inch the billionaire. He was staring out the window, at the moment, and hadn't seemed to notice her entrance.

She glanced back at Duncan. "Your doing?" she guessed. He nodded, and Veronica was overcome with gratitude. He'd gone out of his way to make her and Meg feel at home since they'd arrived, and she had no words for how much she appreciated his graciousness. She placed her hand on his arm and squeezed it. "Thank you."

He shrugged, looking back and forth between her and Meg. "It's no big deal," he said modestly. Meg smiled at him warmly, assuring him with her eyes that it _was_ a big deal to _her_; and Duncan knew that the hassle of talking everyone into his plan had been totally worth it. "So, can I get either of you a drink? We've got a few bottles of wine open already, or I can ask one of the stewards to get you something else?"

They assured him that wine was perfect, and he hurried away to get them both a glass. As soon as he'd walked away, Meg grabbed Veronica's arm and looked at her in something like amazement. "I know," Veronica said with a smile, patting her sister's hand. "That was the sweetest thing ever." She looked over at Duncan, who was pouring them both a glass of wine. "I think you finally picked a good one, sis."

Meg smiled back at her, while Logan watched them both with a frown. He'd never seen Duncan work this hard to try and please someone before. _And he barely even knows her._ He looked at Meg carefully, trying to figure out what Duncan saw in her; what made her so different from the others. _Sure, she's a pretty girl. But she's no Helen of Troy. What the hell is he doing? It's like she's got him under a spell._

Logan made sure to seat himself next to Meg at dinner that night, determined to find out more about her. But, unlike her sister, she didn't make conversation easily. He tried several different topics, but she generally answered with short replies and didn't press him for his own opinion. Frustrated, he found himself looking around the table for a distraction.

His eyes immediately fell upon Veronica. She was in conversation with Connor, who was once again sitting next to her. The two of them seemed to be getting along rather well, and Logan unconsciously furrowed his brow at the sight of them. _Talk about putting people under a spell,_ he thought bitterly. _It's like no man can resist her. Is she sprinkling her potion into our food, or what?_

But his annoyance faded quickly as he watched her, becoming absorbed in her graceful, fluid movement and the easy way she smiled. Veronica seemed just as comfortable in a dress and heels as she did in jeans and a t-shirt. She'd effortlessly transformed herself into an elegant young woman this evening. _Like a chameleon_, Logan smiled to himself.

He thought about his own ability to transform; how he cherished his carefully kept low profile with the press. It allowed him to travel to all sorts of places with anonymity, a gift that most of his friends had never wanted and didn't understand. Everyone else he knew _loved_ being famous, _loved_ having their names in the society pages and their faces in tabloids. They didn't know what it was like when practically every moment of your childhood had been captured on film.

Logan pulled himself out of his reverie, but couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from Veronica. She laughed at something Connor said, and the diamond pendant she wore shimmered in the light. The movement attracted Logan's eye. As he stared at it, he realized that she'd worn that necklace every day since he'd met her. He couldn't help but wonder if it held some special significance. _Something an old boyfriend gave her? Maybe that Casey guy?_

He looked away, aware that he'd been staring once again. But when he glanced back over at Meg, his eye was immediately drawn to a matching diamond pendant resting against _her_ throat. Noticing his attention on her, Meg looked over at him with an encouraging smile. She'd been attempting to make pleasant conversation with him all night, but the truth was he made her a bit nervous. _He's not easy to talk to, like Duncan._

Logan cleared his throat. "I noticed you and your sister wear the same necklace."

Meg's hand went to the pendant, and she touched it fondly. "Yeah," she confirmed. "They were a present from my dad."

"Oh."

"It's sort of a tradition," Meg explained. "He gave them to each of us on our sixteenth birthdays. My sister Mandy has the same one, and when Lilly and Gia turn sixteen they'll both get one too."

"So," Logan began slowly, "he wants you all to match, or something?"

Meg laughed nervously. "No. It's-" She blushed, but continued. "Well, he always says that the first man who buys a girl diamonds should be her father. And that the _next_ man who buys her diamonds should be her husband." Meg shrugged, feeling extremely self-conscious. "My dad is kind of old-fashioned like that."

Logan nodded and looked down at his plate, filing that information away for some unknown purpose. It was sort of a quaint tradition, he supposed, but something about the sentiment appealed to him. He couldn't help thinking about how frivolously he'd given away diamonds to women in the past, and how it had never meant a damn thing. _Diamonds, roses, elaborate dinners… It's all just a means to an end._

He glanced back up at Meg, thinking that perhaps she wasn't so terrible after all. She did nothing for him personally, but that was undoubtedly a good thing. He was happy the day had never come when he and Duncan had been interested in the same woman. In fact, their tastes had always differed rather remarkably on that front; and Logan was always quick to give Duncan grief about what he'd deemed consistently terrible choices in women.

_But I suppose I've never really made the best choices, either_, Logan mused. He took a sip of wine, thinking about his various relationships over the years. He'd never been involved with anyone long enough to get attached. And, as though to make certain no such attachment would develop, he'd always chosen his dates very carefully. He preferred older women to girls his age, and steered clear of anyone who appeared too eager to be with him.

When he thought about it more, he realized that he'd always approached women very much like he approached business. He sought out relationships that were mutually beneficial, and women who were aware of those benefits going in. Both sides knew what to expect, as though an invisible contract had been drawn up. Anything that Logan considered misconduct, like talking to the press, was a breech of that contract. And he would dissolve the partnership instantly.

Logan wondered over this revelation. It sounded so cold in his own mind, so unlike the person he'd always thought he was. _When did I become so jaded?_

Veronica's laughter drew him out of his thoughts, and he looked at her sharply. He felt as though she were laughing at him directly, teasing him for his serious introspection at their dinner table. She wasn't, of course. She wasn't even looking at him, as she carried on her conversation with Duncan.

His eyes narrowed as he watched them. She was so different when she spoke to Duncan than when she spoke to him. So friendly and open. _Why is it that they're able to speak without any animosity, while all of _our_ interactions seem to be laced with tension? _It hadn't escaped his notice, earlier, the easy way she'd touched his arm in thanks. Logan didn't think Veronica had any interest in Duncan- he didn't think she'd do that to her own sister- but he felt annoyed by their budding friendship just the same.

"Logan, didn't you hear me?"

"Huh?"

He turned towards Madison, who was seated across from him and looking just as annoyed as he felt. "I _asked_ you when Heather was getting home from school."

"Uh, June," he replied. "June 12th."

She continued to ask him various questions about his sister, which led into a discussion about Duncan's upcoming graduation and subsequent party. Her diligence paid off, and he managed to stay focused on his conversation with Madison for the remainder of the meal. He was proud of himself for getting back on track. _If I don't talk to her, and I don't _look_ at her, everything will be fine._

Things got more complicated when dinner was over. Unbeknownst to Logan, Duncan had been growing increasingly concerned about Madison's unwavering preoccupation with his friend. He'd been watching them, over the past few days, trying to gauge Logan's interest level in her. But he was a hard guy to read, and Duncan began to worry that maybe something really _would _happen between them. _They certainly spend a lot of time together…_

Logan sat down in the same spot he'd occupied before dinner, on the far end of the couch. Madison quickly took the seat next to him, continuing their conversation from dinner. Veronica sat down on the opposite end of the same couch, turning to speak with her sister who was seated in the chair next to her. As soon as Madison got up to refill her wine glass, Duncan walked over to the couch and took her vacated seat.

"Hey," he greeted him. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Logan shrugged.

Seeing that his friend wasn't in the greatest mood, Duncan faltered. But he wasn't sure when he'd get another chance to speak to him privately, so he turned towards him and lowered his voice. "Listen, buddy. I, uh, think maybe it's time you have a talk with Madison."

"About?"

"Come on, man. Don't play dumb. You know she has a thing for you."

Logan glanced up at Madison, who was talking to Trina and Connor at the table. He looked back at Duncan. "It's harmless."

"Maybe for you," Duncan replied. "But she's got it really bad. And I think she's convinced herself that she's actually got a shot with you."

Logan took a sip of his wine, appearing unconcerned. "It'll blow over."

"No," Duncan said adamantly. "It won't."

Logan smiled and looked up at his friend. "Sure it will. Once summer comes around, she'll find some new guy to crush on and that'll be that."

Duncan shook his head. "She's going to be here with _us_ all summer," he reminded him. "Two rooms down from you."

Logan frowned and didn't reply. He glanced over at Madison again, thinking on what Duncan had just said. But before he got a chance to make any sort of decision, on that front, he overheard Duncan addressing Veronica. "Hey, you mind switching places?"

"Uh, sure."

And the next thing he knew, Veronica was sitting next to him.

Logan didn't look at her. But it didn't matter; he could _feel_ her. Her thigh was just inches away from his. When he lifted his glass to take a sip of his wine, his elbow brushed against her arm. She smelled amazing, like coconut or vanilla or honey, something sweet like that, mixed in with something sharp and fresh like citrus. Logan closed his eyes and inhaled.

And then it got worse. Someone was dimming the lights, and Duncan was reaching for the remote, and then Connor was standing in front of Veronica and asking her to scoot down so that he could sit. Wordlessly, she edged her body to the left to make room for him. Which meant that one side of her body was suddenly pressed up against Logan, her bare arm sliding against the silk of his shirt and their thighs now touching. He closed his eyes again, but this time he exhaled slowly. _This is fucking torture._

But he soon discovered that, as far as torture went, this was the best kind he'd ever experienced. He quickly grew accustomed to her warmth, relaxing the muscles he'd unconsciously tensed as he gave himself up to the sensation of their bodies touching. It was absurd, the reaction he was having to this completely innocent and unintentional contact. And painful, in more ways than one. He crossed one leg over the other self-consciously, as he struggled to regain his composure.

After a few moments of carefully controlled breathing, Logan slowly became aware that everyone in the room was speaking in a raised voice. He realized they were all arguing over what to watch. _As usual. _He finally chanced a look at Veronica, who appeared amused by the heated discussion going on around her. She glanced from Trina to Duncan and back, as though she were watching a ping-pong match.

Relieved that she hadn't seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary with him, he finally addressed her."It's like this every time."

Veronica looked up at him, surprised that he was actually speaking to her again. He hadn't said a thing to her since their impromptu game of pool, earlier. She'd given up on trying to figure out what had prompted this current mood of his, resigning herself to sitting next to him in silence. But, recovering quickly, she replied, "Um, yeah, I sort of got that vibe. Seems like a lot of fuss over a movie."

"Well, this is what happens when everyone involved is used to getting their own way," he remarked.

"Like you're not?" she countered.

"Touché," he acknowledged.

"So why haven't you weighed in, yet?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't really have an opinion on what we watch, tonight."

"I find that hard to believe. You seem to have an opinion on _everything_," she noted. "And everyone."

Logan thought he heard a touch of resentment in that statement, and he wasn't sure how to respond. He found himself wondering, once again, exactly what she thought of him. _Is she still holding a grudge because of what I said at that stupid ball?_ He shifted uncomfortably, separating his leg from hers slightly and deciding to change the subject. "So am I ever going to get my hoody back?"

"Maybe," she replied slowly, her tone becoming playful. "But for the time being, I'm holding it hostage until you pay off your debt."

"I see," Logan smiled. Without hesitating, he reached for his wallet. He produced a hundred dollar bill, grateful for the cover the dim lighting provided. If Madison were to see this exchange, it would inevitably raise a thousand questions in her mind- and he wasn't ready to tackle that particular problem yet. He slipped the bill into Veronica's hand. "For services rendered."

"You wish," she smirked.

_You have no idea_, he thought.

Veronica folded up the bill and slid it beneath her bra, having nowhere else to put it at the moment. Logan's gaze strayed downward, watching the process with interest. She glanced up and caught him looking, feeling oddly pleased about it. _Okay, I need to find a new topic. Fast._

But before she had a chance to think of one, she realized that the noise around them had stopped abruptly. Veronica looked up to see Duncan putting the remote down, and everyone settling into their seats. They had finally made a selection.

She sat back fully on the couch, feeling very conscious of Logan's body on her left, and Connor's body on her right. Neither of them was making any effort to give her more space, even though she suspected that Connor had quite a bit of room to his right. She had just made up her mind to ask him if he could move down slightly, when she felt a hand brushing against her arm.

Veronica glanced over at Connor, assuming that he was trying to get her attention. But he wasn't even looking at her. She slid her arm away, choosing to chalk it off to accidental contact due to their close proximity. Veronica had just started to relax again when she felt a new touch, this time on her right thigh.

Logan, meanwhile, was trying his best _not_ to dwell on the fact that he'd be spending the next two hours next to Veronica, in the dark. He remained still as a stone and focused on the movie, attempting to banish all thoughts of Veronica's presence from his mind.

Yet Vincent and Jules had barely begun discussing condiment options for French fries when she stood up abruptly, quietly excusing herself and exiting the room rapidly. He told himself he was happy for the reprieve- until Connor stood up and left the room, just a few minutes later.

He glanced around the room, curious if anyone else thought this as strange as he did. But everyone continued to look straight ahead, absorbed in the movie. Not even Trina had noticed the timing of her husband's exit. Logan tried to get back into the movie, but he couldn't relax. He stood up quietly and slipped out of the room.

Once he was out in the lobby, he wasn't sure which way to go. He decided to head down the stairs to the Main Deck, with the vague thought that Veronica may have gone to her room. But before he could work up the nerve to walk down the hallway, he heard voices coming from the opposite direction. He moved quickly toward the sound.

Veronica and Connor were standing in front of the pool table. The first thing Logan noticed was how close together they were. The second thing he noticed was that Connor was running his hand down her arm.

Logan stopped abruptly, unsure how to proceed. Before he had a chance to decide, they both looked up. Veronica appeared agitated; but whether that was because she was upset or excited, he couldn't quite tell. Connor dropped his hand and stepped away from her.

"Hey, man," he said casually. "Just bumped into Veronica on my way out to the bar for a refill." He held up his empty glass as proof, shaking it lightly. "You want one?"

"No," Logan replied coldly.

Connor nodded. He glanced down at Veronica briefly, and without another word he took off towards the pool deck.

Veronica took a moment to compose herself, as he walked away. As soon as she'd felt Connor's hand on her thigh, earlier, she'd known it was no accident. _And then he started to slide it up my leg._ Overcome by memories of her encounter with Stan Cross on the beach, three years ago, she'd gotten out of there as quickly as she could. Her intention had been to recover the book she'd left in the salon and head back to her room for the night. But Connor had followed her.

She glanced up at Logan, offering him a shaky smile of gratitude. She wasn't sure what it was that he was doing there, exactly, but she was extremely relieved by his timing. It wasn't as though she'd thought Connor would have forced himself on her. And if he _had_ tried touching any additional body parts, his groin would have been introduced, quite painfully, to her knee.

_Still. That was seriously uncomfortable. I mean, Jesus… He's twenty-five, and he's _married_, and his wife was in the freaking room with us. And then he comes down here and asks me if I want to have a "private party" with him later? How cheesy can you get? Did he really think I'd go for that?_

Veronica usually prided herself on being a good judge of character, but she'd been completely caught off-guard by his behavior. She'd taken his friendliness towards her today as nothing more than kindness. She hadn't realized that he'd had very different intentions.

Logan was still staring at her silently, and she wondered how he was interpreting what he'd just seen. _He probably thinks _I_ was the one hitting on _him. _Why would he believe otherwise? He barely knows me. _A new thought occurred to her, and she frowned. _What if he tells the others what he saw? Oh, god, what if he tells Trina? I think I'd better lock my door, tonight…_

"What just happened?" Logan finally asked, keeping his voice level.

"Nothing," she replied quickly, aware how guilty that made her sound.

He studied her face carefully, but her expression gave nothing away. He sighed and glanced towards the door to the pool deck, debating if he should go question Connor himself. _What the hell is going on here? What did I just walk into? Is Connor up to his usual bullshit, or is she actually into him?_ Frustrated and wanting answers, he put his hand on her forearm impulsively. "Veronica…"

Her eyes widened in surprise, and he dropped his arm abruptly. He couldn't force her to tell him what had happened, as much as he wanted to know. But he hated thinking that Connor was getting away with something, if that's what had really happened. Unsure what else to do, Logan stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited for her to speak.

But Veronica didn't say a word. As far as she was concerned, she was in enemy territory, and Logan wasn't exactly an ally. She walked slowly to the end table, picked up the book she'd set down earlier and looked back up at Logan. "I think I'm gonna turn in for the night. Do you mind telling my sister that I headed back to the room?"

He sighed, but nodded. "Sure."

"Thanks." She forced a smile and skirted around him towards the door. When she reached it she paused. "Good night."

"Night," he replied, without looking up. As soon as Logan heard her leave the room, he leaned against the pool table and closed his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on, and he felt incredibly tired. _Well, I guess I got through this last night unscathed_ _after all,_ he thought. _One more breakfast together, and we'll go our separate ways. For a couple of months, anyway. So I guess that's that._

**xxXxx**

Veronica was bored out of her mind. She'd read for an hour and watched TV for an hour, trying to kill time until her sister came back. She was dying to tell Meg what had transpired between her and Connor, earlier. The whole thing still felt a little surreal. _It's not every day that the guy you and your girlfriend's used to drool over at sleepover parties tries to hook up with you. _

But Meg still hadn't returned to the room. And Veronica was wide awake and restless, and starting to feel like a caged animal.

_Screw this._

She threw open her suitcase and grabbed the last clean bikini she had, which she'd refrained from wearing because it was shimmery gold and ridiculously tiny, and not something she would _ever_ wear in public. _It doesn't matter. No one will see me._

Veronica changed quickly, slipping on the plush white robe that she'd become incredibly fond of over her bikini. Then she grabbed a towel and headed out the door. She moved quickly and silently through the ship, keeping her ears open so that she could avoid running into any unwanted company. But she saw no one, and she continued up the spiral staircase towards the Sky Lounge Deck.

She walked through the darkened Exercise Room towards the sliding doors at the far end, pulling them open and taking a deep breath of the cool night air. It felt so good to be outside, beneath a sky full of stars and surrounded by watery darkness. She closed her eyes and leaned against the railing, feeling incredibly tranquil. It had been a strange few days.

After a moment, Veronica stood up straight and walked over to the hot tub. She was just about to climb the steps when, looking up, she froze. Someone was already _in_ the hot tub. Whoever it was had the jets on but the lights off, so she couldn't make out their face. All she could tell, by the pale light of the moon, was that it was a man. She turned away, hoping that whoever it was hadn't seen her, and hoping desperately that it wasn't Connor.

"It's big enough for the both of us."

_Logan._ Veronica turned around, putting one foot on the bottom step but going no further. Before she could decide what to do, he continued.

"Oh, come on. I don't bite," he told her. She could hear the smile in his voice as he added, "Unless asked."

Veronica took two more steps up the stairs, one hand on the railing and one on her hip. "Why are you sitting here in the dark?" she demanded.

"So I can see the stars better," he replied calmly. She heard the sound of a glass being set down, and saw Logan reaching for something next to him. After a few seconds, he continued. "Of course, if it would make you feel more comfortable…"

Suddenly, the hot tub was aglow in warm yellow light. Logan sat directly opposite from her, one arm stretched out on the wooden deck and the other holding a glass of champagne. He was submerged in foamy, tumbling water up to his shoulders. His hair stood up in wet spikes, and she could tell by his lazy smile and glassy eyes that he'd had quite a bit to drink.

"Well?" he asked, raising his eyebrow in challenge.

Veronica set her jaw determinedly and climbed the final step up to the wooden deck. She was cursing herself for mentioning the darkness _before_ she'd had a chance to disrobe, and cursing her sister for packing this damn bikini. While she wasn't a particularly shy person, she'd certainly never shared _Lilly's _exhibitionist tendencies. She could almost hear her sister, laughing with delight at the situation she'd put her in. _She has no idea what she's in for, when I get home._

Gritting her teeth, she pulled apart the tie on the robe and tossed it to the side. She glanced down at Logan as she stepped into the hot tub, and the look on his face almost made her embarrassment worth it. His eyes no longer looked unfocused, as they swept down her body in obvious admiration. She watched as his mouth dropped open and he ran his fingers through his hair absently, feeling something like vindication. _Still think I'm a charity case?_

But her feeling of victory was short-lived, as the reality of actually _being_ in a hot tub with Logan, alone, started to set in. She was trying desperately _not_ to look at him. _Not_ to appreciate his broad shoulders, and the muscular curve of his arms. But she couldn't lie to herself- he looked good. _Really, really good._ And then she made the mistake of glancing up at his face, and their eyes met and locked.

His expression was identical to the one he'd worn in her dream. His eyes were dark and intense; his lips were parted, as though he were still awaiting the kiss that her dream self had demanded from him. For the second time in three days, Veronica couldn't help but wonder if kissing him would be so terrible, after all. _I'm single, _he's_ single… Well, as far as I know. At least he's not married, like Connor._ _And it would be far kinder than hooking up with Casey again._

Succumbing to that particular attraction was far worse- far more cruel. Logan, at least, didn't have any actual feelings for her. _And I don't even _like_ him, so there's no danger of me falling for him._ _Maybe, if I get this out of my system, I'll have the willpower to tell Casey no, next time…_She stared back at Logan, her heart rate increasing at the prospect of doing something so impulsive, so unlike herself. But then he looked away, and she came back to her senses.

_What the hell are you thinking, Veronica? Don't you remember what happened the last time you let lust overcome reason?_

The previous winter, when Veronica and Casey had been dating, she'd made the mistake of letting things get too far. He hadn't pressured her- in fact, he'd told her again and again that he was happy to wait until she was ready. The trouble was that, as usual, she was far too curious for her own good. She'd wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. So they'd had sex.

She'd known almost instantly that it was a mistake. Not because she didn't have a good time, but because Casey had taken it to mean that her feelings for him were just as strong as his were for her. They weren't. That night, he'd told her that he loved her. And two days later, she'd broken up with him. Mandy had told her that she was being callous, but Veronica had known in her heart that she couldn't pretend to feel something that she simply didn't feel.

_The only problem is, things didn't _actually_ end between us. Not completely._

Veronica took a deep breath, reminding herself of the promise she'd made, the last time she'd made the mistake of getting close to Casey. _I want to have real feelings for the next person I'm with. It can't just be a physical attraction. That's not what I'm looking for. And I certainly can't hook up with _Logan_, of all people, even if he is willing. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction._

She looked over at Logan, who was taking a sip of his champagne and looking thoughtful. She realized that neither one of them had spoken a word since she'd gotten into the tub, and the silence suddenly seemed overbearing. Veronica chewed on her lower lip, trying to think of something to say to cut through the awkward tension.

Logan caught her watching him and risked a glance back at her. She'd been looking at him oddly ever since she'd joined him in the tub, and he got the distinct impression that not all of her thoughts had been entirely pure. He couldn't help being pleased about that, of course. And he couldn't exactly blame her- _his _thoughts had been downright filthy.

He gave her a wry smile, acknowledging that it was a strange situation that they'd found themselves in. _After all of my hard work today, trying to avoid her, where do we wind up? Alone in a hot tub, with her in the sexiest goddamn bikini I've ever seen._ _A bikini that happens to give the illusion that she's completely naked, underwater…_

Logan hastily finished off his glass of champagne, mostly for something to do, and held it up to get Veronica's attention. "You want some?"

"Please," she replied.

He turned around, kneeling on the seat and raising his body up out of the water so he could lift the bottle out of the silver ice bucket behind him. He'd only brought one glass with him, and he wasn't sure how Veronica would feel about drinking out of his glass.

When he twisted his body back towards Veronica to ask her, he caught her staring at him with a frown. She quickly averted her eyes as he addressed her. "Glass or bottle?"

"Um, glass."

Logan poured her a glass and grabbed the rest of the bottle for himself. He sat back down, handing her the full glass. She accepted it silently, without meeting his eye.

He sighed, deciding to cut straight to the point. "You were looking at my scars," he said flatly.

Veronica flashed a guilty glance in his direction before looking down. "I'm sorry," she replied, feeling genuinely regretful. "I didn't mean to stare." She really _hadn't_ meant to stare. But when Logan had turned around, she couldn't help but notice the numerous lines that ran across his back. They almost looked like scratch marks, except they were paler than his skin, and there were so many of them.

"It's okay," Logan replied with a shrug. He took a swig of champagne right from the bottle, studying her for a few seconds before continuing. "Do you want me to tell you how I got them?"

"No, you don't have to," she said quickly.

"I don't mind." He paused, surprised that he actually meant that. For some reason, he really _didn't_ mind telling Veronica. "You, uh, know how my parents died?"

"Yeah," she said quietly. "They were in a car accident."

"Yeah," he affirmed. "And I was with them." He took another swig of champagne before continuing. "The guy who pulled me out of the backseat, well- he didn't really have time to be gentle." He cleared his throat, trying to push away the images from that night. "There was a bunch of crap on the ground, you know, shattered glass and pieces of metal." He gestured vaguely to his back. "I got those when I was dragged out of the way by my ankles."

"God," Veronica whispered. "That must have been terrible."

"I didn't even feel it," he replied quietly, his eyes far away.

"That's not what I meant."

Logan looked at her sharply. Veronica was looking at him sympathetically, her expression earnest. As he stared back at her, he suddenly came to his senses. _What the hell am I doing? I don't talk to _anyone_ about this. Not ever. I've known this girl less than a week…Why the hell am I telling her this?_

"Yeah," he said shortly. "Not the best night ever." He took a long sip of champagne, wiping his mouth when he was done and setting the bottle down behind him. "Well, I think I heard somewhere that sitting in a hot tub for too long does bad things to important man parts." He stood up and stepped out of the tub, managing a smile. "And that would be a travesty to our species."

Veronica returned his smile, although she wasn't feeling particularly cheerful. She knew why Logan was leaving. He was embarrassed that he'd shared something so personal with her. _Maybe he's afraid that I'll tell everyone his story. But I would never._ She felt like she wanted to express that, but she wasn't sure how to say it without making him even more uncomfortable.

It was too late, anyway. Logan was wrapping his towel around his waist and reaching for the bottle he'd set down behind him. "Want me to top you off, before I go?" he offered.

"Thanks, I'm good."

"Okay." Logan looked at her for a minute, not sure what to say. It had been a weird day, and he wasn't feeling like himself. A large part of him didn't to leave her at all. But he felt like spending any more time around her would just make things more confusing. _I can't trust myself around her. I can't trust what I'll do, and now I can't even trust what I'll say. And it probably doesn't help that I'm drunk._

"Well, enjoy the rest of your evening," he said lightly, lifting his bottle in salute.

Veronica nodded, her face solemn. "Good night, Logan." She watched him as he walked away, acknowledging for the first time that there was much more to Logan than met the eye. And realizing that it was probably a very, very good thing that they would be parting company tomorrow.

**A/N I've always thought that Mr. Hurst was sort of a waste of a character, so I decided to have a little bit of fun at his expense. I hope you'll all forgive me for taking liberties with him. (But jealous!Logan is one my favorite kinds of Logan.)**

**Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter! Thanks for reading :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N I know, I know. The phrase "sorry for the delay" doesn't even begin to cover it. I'll just blame writer's block, real life crappiness and uncertainty how to proceed next. I thought for sure interest would wane after all of this time, but those of you who are reading this are a very tenacious bunch. ;)**

**I really appreciate the continued encouragement and patience from so many of you, not just regarding this story but overall. Every kind review and PM has made me smile, and I thank you sincerely for that.**

**Happy holidays, everyone! Hope you enjoy my present.**

Chapter 9

Veronica awoke early the next morning, with a mild headache and a strong desire for caffeine. She hadn't slept well. Troubling dreams had plagued her throughout the night; dreams of wandering through the maze-like halls below deck, searching for something that she couldn't quite seem to find.

As she untangled herself from her twisted sheets, she turned to see that Meg had not yet risen. Her sister slept peacefully, dark lashes fluttering lightly and a soft smile upon her lips. Veronica smiled to herself, certain she knew which subject was responsible for evoking such a pleasant countenance.

She squinted at the clock on the bedside table, trying to make out the time. It was just before 6am. Sighing, she climbed out of bed as quietly as she could and glanced around the cabin for her slippers. Spotting them beneath the couch, she slipped them on, pulled her hair up into a messy bun and headed out the door.

Veronica knew it was probably too early to hope that the crew had put out any breakfast yet. The others had inevitably stayed up very late and wouldn't be looking for food for at least a couple more hours. But she remembered Alain telling her that one of his tasks was to keep tea and coffee available at all times, and so she began her quest for caffeine.

Tripping several times over the bottoms of Duncan's over-sized pajama pants, she somehow managed to make it down the hallway to the Tea Room in one piece. The door was shut, but Veronica could see light streaming through the cracks. She pushed it open without hesitation, stopping short when she saw Logan seated at the table.

He was typing rapidly on his laptop, one bare foot propped up onto the seat next to him. He wore nothing but a pair of black silk boxer shorts, and his hair was a mass of rumpled spikes. Logan paused for a moment, stirring his coffee absently as he re-read what he'd written, and then he continued typing at an even greater speed. He didn't look up.

Feeling as though she'd just wandered into someone's private office uninvited, Veronica nevertheless decided that her need for caffeine outweighed all else, at the moment. She moved wordlessly towards the side table, over-turned a white china cup and began to make herself a cup of tea.

Assuming she was just one of the staff, Logan continued to ignore her. He finished up the e-mail he was writing, sent it, and began reading the next message in his inbox. It was from his assistant Cassidy, and it detailed some of the finer aspects of the new project he was interested in. Logan was so engrossed in it that Veronica's presence in the room would have gone completely unnoticed to him, had she not had the bad luck to drop her teaspoon onto her saucer with a loud clatter.

Logan finally glanced up, his annoyance quickly morphing into utter surprise. Veronica stood before him in a pale blue tank top- pale enough that he could tell instantly that she wasn't wearing anything beneath it- and a pair of enormous plaid pajama pants. Most of her hair had escaped the confines of her bun, falling in untidy strands over her eyes. Her eyelids were slightly pink and puffy, which had the unexpected effect of making her eyes appear an even more vivid blue than usual. He'd never seen her look so utterly adorable.

"Sorry," Veronica muttered. "I, uh, didn't mean to interrupt."

"You're not interrupting," he replied. He closed his laptop, e-mail forgotten, and gestured to the chair across from him. "Have a seat."

Veronica hesitated. "You look busy."

Logan shrugged. "I was just looking something over. It can wait." Suddenly conscious that he was clad in nothing but his underwear, he quickly dropped his foot to the floor and twisted his body forward, taking advantage of the cover provided by the white linen tablecloth.

Hiding her smile, Veronica took the seat opposite him. She nodded to his laptop. "Anything interesting?"

"Oh, yes," he replied, suppressing a smile of his own. "Extremely interesting."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Well," he began slowly, running one finger along the rim of his coffee mug, "I'm trying to decide if I should get involved with something." His eyes lifted up to meet hers, dark and intent. "Something that may not be in my best interests, financially, but which I'm having a very difficult time passing up."

Veronica frowned slightly, feeling that familiar mix of confusion and curiosity that always seemed to accompany her conversations with Logan. She knew that he was being purposely vague with her, which was frustrating and a bit annoying. With anyone else, she would have dropped the subject. Yet, with him, she seemed to be developing an almost compulsive desire to learn more.

"And what conclusion did you come to?" she asked.

Logan took a sip of his coffee, continuing to watch her over the top of his mug. "I'm still trying to figure it out."

Feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny, and a bit like she wasn't privy to some private joke, Veronica wasn't sure how to respond. She blew on her tea and took a sip, then set the cup back on the saucer. When she looked up, Logan was still staring at her. Exasperated, she leaned backward in her chair and, very deliberately, stared back.

Logan ran one hand back and forth through his hair, disheveling it even further, and regarded her with a small smile. He wasn't quite sure how he'd gotten into a staring contest with Veronica Mars at six o'clock in the morning, but he could think of worse ways to spend his time. He took a sip of his coffee and propped his foot back up onto the adjacent chair, letting her know he could do this all day.

As Veronica watched him let out a big, fake yawn, she felt her irritation grow. He was always so cocky, so damned _pleased_ with himself. Even at dawn, hair uncombed and wearing next to nothing, he seemed well aware of just how good he looked. It made her keenly sensitive to her own unkempt appearance, which in comparison wasn't nearly as alluring. She crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously.

"Aren't you cold?" she finally blurted out.

"Why would I be cold?" he returned.

"Because you're practically naked."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Is my level of undress offending you?"

"No, not _offending_ me," Veronica replied. "I guess I just haven't met too many billionaires who like to wander around in their underwear."

"I'm not wandering," he corrected. "I'm sitting."

"You were wandering the first night we were on the ship," she reminded him. "In your underwear."

"Should I point out what _you_ were wearing that night?"

Veronica searched her mind, landing on the memory of the embarrassingly shear black nightie. Fighting the blush that accompanied the recollection, she muttered, "I wasn't aware you'd noticed."

"I noticed," he returned dryly.

She lifted her teacup off the table and took a sip, taking her time before she replied. When she was confident that her complexion had returned to its normal color, she glanced back up at Logan with a sweet smile. "Well, at least _I_ had the decency to put on a robe."

"To the very grave disappointment of the kitchen staff, I'm sure," he smirked. Logan paused to take a sip of coffee, keeping his eyes fixed on hers. He set his mug down and lifted one eyebrow. "My lack of clothing didn't seem to bother you last night."

"Last night you were wearing swim trunks," she pointed out.

"Same level of coverage, no? Whereas _your_ outfit last night…"

"Yes?" she urged.

"Quite a bit _less_ coverage."

"I told you, my sister-"

"Are those Duncan's?" he interrupted.

"What?" she replied, confused. Veronica followed his eyes, looking down at her bent knee. "The pants? Yes. Why?"

Logan, stunned that he'd just asked that question aloud, didn't respond. He took a moment to regain his composure before continuing, planting a smile firmly upon his lips. "Look, if it bothers you so much, I'll go put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt," he conceded. He gave her a pointed look. "I'd grab a jacket, too, but you'd just find a way to 'borrow' it from me."

He set down his mug and began to stand up, but Veronica held up her palm to stop him. Logan took his seat again, waiting for her to go on.

"I never said it bothered me," she corrected in a calmer voice. "I was merely pointing out that it's unusual for a guy with such a…" Veronica paused, trying to think of a delicate way to phrase it. "Such a public profile, to be so un-concerned with his appearance."

"I'm a nine, remember?" Logan grinned, leaning back again. "I don't _need_ to be concerned with my appearance."

"You're impossible," she sighed.

"What?" he asked innocently. "You were the one who said I was a nine in the first place."

Veronica opened her mouth indignantly. "I never-" She stopped and shook her head. "You know what? It's far too early to deal with your particular brand of insanity. I'm going back to bed."

Logan didn't want her to leave; he'd been enjoying her company. But Veronica was already lifting her teacup off its saucer and standing up.

He pulled his laptop closer to him and pushed the screen open, not sure how he was supposed to concentrate on work after all that talk about Veronica's skimpy clothing. Struggling to banish several very wicked thoughts from his mind, he muttered a distracted, "Sweet dreams."

"Thanks," she replied. "And good luck doing… whatever it is that you're doing." Veronica waved a hand towards his computer negligently.

She hadn't really meant anything by the remark, but it got his full attention. Logan looked up, forcing a smile to mask his irritation. "What _I'm_ doing?" he repeated, pressing an open palm to his chest. "Oh, you know, nothing important. Just running my own company. But you go have a nice _rest_."

Veronica stared at him, taken aback by his tone. _I've offended him_, she realized. _Wounded his pride._ She forgot, sometimes, that he wasn't your typical seventeen year old guy. He was a billionaire, heir to the Echolls dynasty. That undoubtedly came with all sorts of responsibilities and demands on his time that she hadn't even considered.

Feeling a bit contrite, she chose to ignore his jab about getting some rest in favor of an attempt to smooth things over. "Yeah, right," she joked lightly. "We both know you're really just updating your Facebook status."

At her words, Logan's temper subsided as rapidly as it had arisen. He felt silly for getting so annoyed in the first place. "You got me," he replied with a wry smile. Pretending to type, he spoke aloud, "Tiny blonde on ship continues to distract me from my work. Must bribe staff member to throw her overboard." He tapped the Enter key decisively and looked up. "Status updated."

"Thanks for the heads up," Veronica said. "I'll stick to the shadows."

"A wise decision," Logan replied. He nodded to the teacup in her hand. "And don't worry, I won't alert the staff to your petty larceny."

Veronica rolled her eyes. Realizing this could go on all morning, if left unchecked, she bit her lip on her sarcastic retort and began walking towards the door. She'd just reached it when he spoke up.

"Uh, hey," Logan added quickly. "I don't know if anyone told you yet, but we're doing brunch in the Upper Deck Salon at ten. And I think we're due back to the harbor around noon."

"Okay," she replied slowly. "Thanks. I guess I'll see you then."

He nodded and looked back down at his computer, pretending to read. But the moment the door shut behind her, Logan closed his laptop and leaned backwards in his chair with a heavy sigh. Every encounter he'd ever had with Veronica left him feeling the same way: confused and frustrated. _Yet also…invigorated, _he realized._ Stimulated. And not just physically._

Unable to sit still any longer, he stood up and tucked his laptop under his arm. He'd foregone his morning workout to save energy for surfing later, but the restlessness he felt was growing intolerable. He needed to move, to do _something_. Logan crossed the room in five long strides, heading towards the door. He had almost four hours to kill until brunch, and he needed to find a distraction.

**xxXxx **

Veronica's attempts to go back to sleep were all in vain. She blamed it firmly on the caffeine, although she'd only ended up drinking half her tea. Meg still slept soundly in the bed beside hers; she looked over at her jealously.

The clock told her only an hour had passed since she'd left Logan in the Tea Room. Yet she felt like she'd been lying in bed for days, waiting for sleep to come. Deciding it was time to give up, this time for good, she got up once more.

She wandered over to the pile of neatly folded clothing that had magically appeared on her bed the previous day. Everything Veronica had worn since she'd come onboard had been freshly laundered. She couldn't help grinning as she wondered which one of the guys on staff had gotten stuck handling her delicates.

Veronica got dressed quickly in the clothes she'd arrived in, deciding a jog was long overdue. She didn't relish the thought of running into Connor, after their little scene last night, but she was pretty confident he'd still be sleeping it off. She grabbed her iPod and headed to the Sky Lounge Deck.

Sun was streaming through the glass walls of the Exercise Room in vibrant rays as she approached the door. She paused to peek inside, surprised to find that it was indeed occupied- but not by Connor. Logan was jogging on the treadmill at a fast clip, his expression stern with exertion. Although still shirtless, he'd put on a pair of shorts and sneakers.

Remaining motionless, she watched him as he ran. The muscles in his back and arms tensed and relaxed with each step, almost hypnotizing in their unbroken movement. His form was flawless and his breathing steady, even though he was running hard. He was obviously in prime physical condition. _And it shows_.

Veronica walked through the door and into the room, but lingered by the entrance. Logan was listening to his iPod and hadn't noticed her arrival yet. She continued scrutinizing him for several moments, with reluctantly growing appreciation. _Nine might not be so far off after all, _she grudgingly admitted._ At least where looks are concerned. As for personality…_

She hesitated, surprised to discover that her feelings towards Logan had softened quite a bit, since their trip had begun. Veronica couldn't pinpoint when the shift had occurred; it had happened so gradually. And it was a rather startling discovery. After the way he'd behaved at the charity ball, and the unkind things he'd said, she never would have suspected that she'd manage to tolerate his company just days later.

_More than tolerate_, she realized, with mounting alarm. _Actually…enjoy._

Before she had time to process that thought, Logan turned his head and spotted her standing there. Veronica crossed the room quickly, in an attempt to act as though she'd just arrived. She glanced at the equipment around her uncertainly. She wasn't really a gym person; she preferred running outdoors. Most of these machines were a mystery, and Logan was on the only treadmill.

Logan watched her curiously. She was moving towards the elliptical machine with a doubtful expression on her face. Remembering how she'd jogged to the marina before their trip began, he slowed his pace to a walk and pulled his earbuds out. "Hey," he greeted her. "Just give me a minute to cool down and it's all yours."

"No," she replied, feeling oddly shy. "You were here first. I'll just-"

"Don't worry about it," he interrupted. "I'm going for a swim now anyway."

"Training for a triathlon?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"No," he shrugged, feeling a bit self-conscious himself. "I just like to stay in shape."

Veronica nodded and they both fell silent; the only sound was the rhythmic inhale and exhale of Logan's breath. Unsure what to do with herself while she waited, Veronica leaned against a weight bench and glanced back over at Logan. From this distance, she could just barely make out the faint scars on his back. If she hadn't known they were there, she never would have noticed them. Now, it was all she could focus on.

She thought back to their conversation the previous night, Logan's words drifting into her mind: _"I got those when I was dragged out of the way by my ankles."_ It was horrific, what he'd gone through. Losing both of his parents at such a young age, his last memory of them so brutal. Veronica had been surprised that he'd entrusted her with that memory; surprised, too, at the raw vulnerability she'd glimpsed in his eyes as he'd told his story.

He looked over at her then, catching her in her stare. Veronica glanced down guiltily, afraid he'd be able to tell what she'd been thinking about. She heard him hit a couple of buttons on the treadmill, and when she looked up again he was stepping off the machine. He bowed exaggeratedly, sweeping his arm towards the treadmill to indicate that he was relinquishing it to her.

Logan stood up straight, eyeing her with a devious smile. "Since it's obvious that you've decided to stalk me today," he began, "I'll make things easier for you. I'll be down at the pool for about a half hour, and then back in my room for a shower. Then I'll be packing for approximately twenty minutes. After that, I'll be up in the salon for brunch, where I'll most likely remain until our arrival in Neptune. Got all that?"

For once, he had the satisfaction of catching Veronica completely off guard. She stared at him with her mouth slightly open, looking rather affronted. He smirked and made for the door, not waiting for a reply.

Refusing to allow him the last word, Veronica searched her mind desperately for a suitable retort. "You're wandering around half naked again," she called after him. "Just thought I'd point that out."

Without turning around, Logan lifted nine fingers above his head. She couldn't see his face, but she could hear him laughing as he left the room.

Veronica shook her head and walked towards the treadmill, trying to ignore the escalating confusion she was feeling towards him. But she couldn't seem to ignore it. Logan remained on her mind the entire time she ran, memories of their encounters travelling in and out of her thoughts erratically.

What she discovered was that she still found him to be egotistical, entitled and extremely irritating, at times. Yet, he was also intelligent, witty and exceedingly interesting. Veronica realized that she may have been hasty in forming her initial opinion of him. True, she'd had good cause to dislike him. But perhaps it was just as Meg had said- he'd simply been having a bad night.

_I've certainly had _my_ share of bad days. Is it fair to hold a grudge because of a few sentences he uttered almost a week ago?_

Frowning, Veronica shut off the treadmill without bothering to cool down. She thought the physical exertion would have cleared her mind a bit, but it had only left her with more questions. She walked over to the sliding doors and opened them, stepping out onto the balcony.

It was a glorious morning. The sun was rising in the sky, turning the ocean beneath it to liquid gold. Veronica closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. It was good to be out on the ocean; good to be away from Neptune. _This certainly wasn't the way I'd pictured my Spring Break going. But I have to admit: it hasn't been all bad._

Veronica walked over to the railing, looking out to sea. She could see land in the distance, dull brown and uninviting. She lowered her head over the railing, turning her eyes towards the stern of the ship and the pool beneath her. Someone was in the pool, swimming laps. She remembered Logan informing her that he was going for a swim, and stepped away from the railing quickly. _The last thing I want to do is get accused of stalking again._

She retreated towards the side of the balcony, not ready to go back inside yet. She'd just settled into a comfortable chair in the corner when she heard voices. Trina and Madison were stepping out onto the balcony in their bikinis, each carrying a towel. Madison headed to the exact spot Veronica had just vacated, leaning against the railing and looking down.

Trina joined her. They stood there for over a minute without saying anything. It was the longest Veronica had ever heard them go without opening their mouths. Madison was wearing heels, her long blonde hair fanning out behind her in the breeze. _She looks like a beauty pageant contestant during the swimsuit competition_, Veronica thought, suppressing a chuckle.

She continued to wait for them to move, hoping she could slip past them while they were distracted. Yet still they remained. Sighing, Veronica was just about to reveal herself when Madison began to speak.

"God, look at him," she said, voice steeped in admiration. "Talk about endurance."

Trina made a face. "Ugh. I'd rather not think about that, thanks." She glanced over at her sister. "When are you going to move on to someone you actually have a _shot_ with, anyway?"

Madison looked at her, disgusted. "I have a shot with him," she insisted. "I have _more_ than a shot with him. Trust me."

"You think so?" Trina asked. Bored of Madison's unwaning obsession, she felt a sudden urge to stir things up. "Because it seems to me that it's a different blonde who's caught his eye."

"Who, _Veronica_?" Madison spat. "Please."

Trina smiled to herself. It was so easy to get her little sister riled up. "I don't know," she returned loftily. "Haven't you noticed the way he looks at her?"

Madison narrowed her eyes. "I'd be more worried about the way your _husband_ looks at her," she said pointedly. Trina snapped her head around, glaring at her. A tad uneasy at the venom in her eyes, Madison was quick to backtrack. "It's not _his_ fault though. I mean, look at the clothing the little slut's been prancing around in, these last few days."

"True," Trina agreed, her anger shifting seamlessly to Veronica. "She's obviously desperate for attention. It's pathetic, really."

Relieved, Madison continued. "Meg won't give me any good gossip, but I get the feeling Veronica gets passed around Neptune like a cold sore."

"The town tramp," Trina said gleefully. "I'm not surprised."

"Well, could we expect anything less, from that family?" Madison asked dryly.

She glanced down at Logan, who continued to do slow, steady laps in the pool beneath her. He moved effortlessly, his limbs long and lean. She was reminded of the statues in the Uffizi Gallery, in Florence. Hewn from Carrara marble and polished until flawless. _He's perfect. And perfection doesn't mix with filth._

Madison straightened her posture and turned towards her sister, chin jutted out proudly. "Logan would never even _consider_ Veronica as an option," she announced confidently. "Don't you remember what he said about her the other day?"

"Oh, what was it again?" Trina asked eagerly. "Something about that ridiculous mother of hers."

"'The daughter of the town drunk'," Madison quoted, smiling triumphantly. "'What a prize.'"

"That was it!" Trina laughed. "And is it any surprise that the town tramp is the daughter of the town drunk?"

Madison laughed loudly. Now that Veronica's worth had been solidly trampled, she felt much better; much more secure about her _own _claim to Logan. Madison took one last look at him, more determined than ever to make him hers. Then she stepped away from the railing and walked towards the hot tub with Trina, who was still giggling.

As soon as their backs were turned, Veronica stood up and headed quickly for the sliding glass doors. She stepped through them and slid them shut silently. She crossed the exercise room to the hallway and ran down the spiral stairs, trying to get as far away as possible. Yet even when she'd reached her cabin, she could still hear their derisive laughter echoing in her head.

**xxXxx**

Brunch was a rather awkward affair.

Veronica had, in fact, considered skipping it entirely. But she'd quickly abandoned that idea in favor of a new plan. She wasn't going to spend her last hours on the ship skulking in her cabin. She refused to give anyone that satisfaction. Instead, she'd decided to show up in the very same cut-off top and Daisy Duke's she'd been so loathe to wear, that first night on the ship.

She wore the outfit proudly, all traces of self-consciousness gone. Veronica knew now that she would never fit in with this group; never be accepted. They were going to talk about her no matter what she said or how she behaved. _So I may as well give them some fodder for their gossip. A little something for them to remember me by._

Her wardrobe choice had the desired effect. All eyes were upon her when she entered the salon, and each person reacted just as she'd expected… from Logan and Connor's unmasked admiration to Madison and Trina's unmasked disgust. Veronica smiled pleasantly at each of them in turn and took her seat at the table next to Meg.

But her feeling of victory was short-lived. The reality of actually sitting down with the people who'd had such cruel things to say about her settled in quickly, and she wondered if she would have been better off skipping brunch after all.

Logan sat directly across from her, looking extremely refreshed after his morning workout. True to his word, he'd showered and changed since she'd last seen him. Veronica could feel his eyes upon her, but she refused to look at him.

She knew she only had herself to blame, for believing that he'd been sincere in his interest in her. It was clear to her now that she'd been nothing more than a diversion. Yet she couldn't help feeling disappointed, and a bit betrayed.

"Have a good run?" he asked her now.

"Yes," she replied. She poured hot water over her teabag, keeping her eyes focused on the task.

"Are you on the track team, in school?"

"No."

"The coach begs her to join weekly," Meg spoke up. "But she always says no."

"Why?" Logan questioned.

Veronica looked up, briefly. "I'm just not interested," she replied coldly.

Logan paused, a bit taken aback. Unsure how to reply, he searched his mind for a new topic. "Are you, uh, looking forward to getting home?"

"Very much," she said. "It'll be nice to see my _friends_."

He frowned, certain now that Veronica was upset with him about something_. I thought she knew I was joking, about the whole stalking thing. Maybe I offended her?_ Logan cleared his throat, determined to make amends. "So, when are your classes done for the year?"

"June."

"We'll be coming back here in July," Logan informed her. Deciding to change tacks, he smiled playfully and continued. "I think you'll owe me a tour of the town when I arrive. It's only fair."

Veronica hesitated before answering. Just a couple of hours ago, she'd been thinking that maybe it wouldn't be so bad, having Logan around this summer. That it may even be fun. Now, the prospect of spending three months in the same town with him only made her feel ill. She slowly raised her head, looking him directly in the eye.

"It's a small town," she replied, forcing a polite smile. "I'm sure you'll be able to find your way around without my help."

Logan stared back at her, his frustration mounting. Veronica had always been direct with him. It was one of the things he admired most about her. He had no idea why she was acting like this, all of the sudden. He had half a mind to demand she tell him, right this second. But then he remembered that they weren't alone, and that she wouldn't react kindly to that sort of behavior anyway. So he opted to keep silent.

The food arrived, then, and everyone busied themselves with serving. Logan made no more attempts to begin conversation with her. He knew she'd offer him nothing more than a word or two in response, and that would only aggravate him further. Yet he continued to watch her, wondering what had gotten her so upset with him.

Veronica ate heartily, despite having little appetite. She remained mostly silent, only speaking to Duncan and Meg. Madison and Trina ignored her completely. Connor only spoke once, asking her to pass the salt and pepper, but his eyes never strayed far from her. She didn't look in Logan's direction for the remainder of the meal.

When they finished eating, several crew members appeared to take their leftovers away. One of them informed their party that they would be arriving in Neptune shortly. Everyone except for Veronica left the table, seating themselves on the couches as they waited.

She looked out at the ocean as she sipped her tea, trying to compose herself before she had to face the others again. Before she felt entirely ready, she saw Logan approaching her out of the corner of her eye. She stood up quickly, trying to make her escape before he reached her. But she was too late.

Logan had no idea what he was going to say to her, yet he felt that he needed to say _something_. He didn't want to leave things between them on such a sour note. He scratched the back of his neck and looked down at her. "Listen, if I said or did something to offend you, I'm really-"

"Hey, Logan!" Duncan called from across the room. He held his cell phone out. "My dad wants to talk to you for a minute."

Logan frowned, glancing down at Veronica. Her eyes flitted up to meet his, but she looked away before he could decipher her mood. Sighing, he walked towards Duncan to take his phone call.

Veronica headed over to the couch quickly, not wanting to get caught alone again. She took a seat next to Meg, but made no attempt to join into her conversation with the others. She couldn't help mulling over Logan's truncated apology. She wished, now, that they hadn't gotten interrupted. _I could have told him that all he's been doing since we _met_ is offending me._

Yet he'd looked so sincere; as though he were truly bothered by the idea that she was angry with him. _Maybe his ego is wounded. He can't stand the fact that there's anyone on the planet who doesn't think he's a god._

Veronica glanced at the clock on the end table, urging time to move forward more quickly. She was very ready for this trip to be over. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the engines slowed and stopped. She waited as patiently as she could for the announcement that it was safe to disembark.

Martin and Alain showed up to bid her goodbye, providing her with a nice excuse not to have to interact with anyone else. Then the captain entered the room to exchange pleasantries and make sure they'd had an enjoyable journey. Veronica and Logan never got another moment alone, and she decided it was for the best. She wouldn't have to deal with him for at least two more months, and by then she was sure she'd be all but forgotten.

The next thing she knew, they were all walking down the plank towards the dock. Veronica had been so deep in thought that she hadn't bothered to pay attention to any of the conversation around her. So it came as a bit of a shock when she looked up to see Lilly, Gia and her mother standing there waiting for them.

Veronica turned towards Meg, who was walking just behind her. "What's Mom doing here?" she asked in a frantic whisper.

"Gia called me earlier," Meg explained. "She asked me when we were getting here." She eyed her sister in some confusion, surprised that Veronica looked so upset. "I'm sorry, I didn't think it would be a big deal."

It _shouldn't_ have been a big deal. A few hours ago, she would have been completely unbothered by her mother's presence. Now, the words "town drunk" ran through her mind on a loop, punctuated by the remembrance of Trina and Madison's laughter.

Their group gathered in a loose circle on the dock as porters bustled around them, organizing luggage. Lianne smiled broadly at them all, hugging Meg and Veronica in turn. As soon as Veronica got close to her mother, she could smell the alcohol on her breath. She and Meg exchanged glances.

Veronica turned towards Duncan, eager to say her goodbyes as fast as possible. But before she could begin, her mother started speaking. "I'm so glad we're not late! We just came from brunch. I ran into Susan, and we were having so much fun I completely lost track of time."

_And you obviously lost track of how many mimosas you drank, too_, Veronica thought. "You could have sent the car," she said softly.

"Oh, no, I had to see if Meg was okay!" Lianne protested. She put one arm around her eldest daughter, squeezing her tightly. "Gia said you were puking your guts out, poor thing. Are you feeling better now?"

Meg smiled gamely, although her cheeks blazed red. "Duncan was nice enough to find me some Dramamine," she explained. "I wasn't sick for very long."

Lianne turned towards Duncan, arm still around Meg. "Oh how _sweet _of you," she gushed. "Taking care of my little girl like that. I bet she didn't even tell anyone she was sick, did she?"

Duncan opened his mouth to speak, but Lianne carried on, unabated. "Meg never complains. Not even when she broke her finger, when she was five. The other girls would've been screaming bloody murder, but she didn't say a word." She laughed brightly. "We wouldn't have even _known_, if Veronica hadn't told us what happened.

"It's just her personality," she continued, looking at Meg proudly. "Everyone loves our Meg, even strangers. When we went to Malibu last summer, the lead singer of a band-" she paused, giving them all a coy smile, "- I won't say which _one_, of course, but they were very hip at the time- just fell head over heels in love with her.

"It's a shame that didn't work out," she said wistfully. "He wrote a song about her and everything. Remember that, honey? What was it called again? Something about angels… Angel Eyes?"

"Angel Rising," Gia corrected. "He sang it for her in front of the whole crowd."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Ugh, don't remind me."

"Why, it wasn't a good song?" Logan spoke up.

She glanced at him, surprised that he was addressing her. "No, the song was fine," she replied evenly. "But him singing it to her like that in front of everyone was pretty mortifying."

Logan tilted his head slightly. "I'd think most women would consider that romantic?"

"I'm not most women," Veronica informed him. Her tone was a bit caustic, but Logan merely smiled at her response.

Lianne looked at Logan distastefully, wondering why Veronica was even speaking to him. "Well, anyway," she said. "I hope the girls weren't too much trouble." She looked up at the yacht admiringly. "Now that is _quite_ a ship," she remarked. "We used to have one, you know. I'm not sure why my husband insisted we sell. _I_ always enjoyed it."

Veronica heard a snicker, and looked sharply at Trina and Madison. They were whispering to one another, barely able to contain their mirth. She saw Logan glance over at them with a frown, and then down at his watch. She remembered that he had a meeting to attend.

Worried her mother was about to invite herself onboard for a tour, even though it was clear that everyone wanted to leave, she turned towards Lianne. "Mom, I think we should get go-" she began.

Lianne firmly ignored her. "Gorgeous day out, isn't it? Bet you don't get too many of _these_ in New York, huh?" She looked at Duncan. "So, you'll be back for the whole summer?"

"That's the plan," he replied with a smile. "My dad needs me to help out with the new facility, so..." He shrugged. "I just go where I'm told."

"Yes, you're very accommodating," Logan remarked dryly.

"An excellent trait," Veronica noted. She couldn't help glancing at Logan before adding, "One of those traits that society deems worthy, wouldn't you agree?"

Logan smiled again, pleased that she was finally addressing him directly. "Well, there's being _accommodating_ and then there's being a pushover," he countered. "If someone simply does what they're told without question, that's not a very commendable trait, is it?"

"So when _is_ it acceptable to be accommodating?" she questioned, unable to stop herself from arguing back. "Let's say a friend or family member asks you to help them, without telling you the specifics. If you help them, does that make you a pushover?"

"It depends on what they ask," he replied, raising an eyebrow.

They were facing one another fully now, absorbed in their conversation. Madison watched them with a scowl. She was impatient to leave, eager to finally have Logan's full attention. She didn't understand what they were all still doing, hanging around on this dingy dock with these people. And she and Trina were outnumbered by Mars sisters now, which she didn't care for at all.

Madison was about to interrupt their discussion, but Lianne stepped in before she got the chance. Lianne was far more interested in trying to find out Duncan's plans for the future (especially in regards to Meg) than she was in hearing what _Logan_ had to say. She eyed him now with disdain. "Well I suppose _some_ people don't understand what it means to be a true friend."

Both Meg and Veronica looked over at Lianne, surprised by the vitriol in her voice. Despite Veronica's current feelings towards Logan, she didn't wish her mother to be outwardly rude to him. Meg and Duncan were obviously still interested in one another, and she didn't want him to get scared off.

Besides, Logan was Duncan's closest friend. She'd seen how much Duncan valued his opinion, these past few days. It was a mystery to her _why_, but that's how things stood. _And Logan already thinks Mom is a useless drunk. What if he convinces Duncan that Meg just isn't worth it? _

"I don't think that's what Logan was saying," Veronica said, speaking calmly. "He just meant-"

"So, Duncan," Lianne cut her off. "Have you lived in New York your whole life?"

"Yes," he replied politely, although a bit taken aback by the abrupt subject change. "Born and raised."

"Our family has been in New York since the 1700's," Madison remarked haughtily. "Haven't you ever heard of Nathaniel Kane?"

Duncan flashed her a warning look, before turning back to Lianne with a smile. "But I'm really looking forward to being on the west coast."

"I think you'll find living by the ocean a nice change of pace," she replied. "We're all a bit more relaxed here."

"Clearly," Trina muttered under her breath. Madison laughed out loud.

Lianne looked at them in confusion, unsure what she'd said that was so funny. To distract her, Veronica blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "They're throwing a party, when they come back here."

"And when will that be?" Lianne inquired.

"After I graduate," Duncan replied. "Once we're all settled into the new place."

Meg glanced over at Trina and Madison. "We were thinking the last weekend in June, right?"

"No, it can't be that weekend," Lilly spoke up. "That's Dick's graduation party." She looked at Veronica with a sly smile. "He already stopped by looking for you, you know."

"Twice," Gia added with a giggle.

Logan listened with interest. This wasn't the first time Dick's name had come up in conversation. But when he glanced over at Veronica, her expression was unreadable.

"So if we're not doing it the end of June, when should we have the party?" Trina asked.

"How about 4th of July weekend?" Meg suggested.

"Yeah," Duncan replied enthusiastically. "That sounds great."

Logan frowned. All of this discussion about coming out to Neptune in June was news to him. He'd been a bit preoccupied by other thoughts, this past week, and hadn't paid any attention to the party planning. He'd been looking forward to spending some time with Heather, before he had to head back to California. And watching the fireworks with his little sister was a tradition they'd held for years.

"I thought we'd be in New York for the fourth," he said to Duncan. "Don't you want to stay for the fireworks?"

"We have fireworks here, too," Lianne informed him. "They may not rival the Macy's fireworks, but I assure you our display is _more_ than satisfactory."

"I'm sure they're lovely," Logan replied dryly.

Catching his mood, Duncan turned to Lianne with a kind smile. "Well, we have lots of time," he said diplomatically. "I'm sure we'll figure it out." He cleared his throat. "But unfortunately, I have an appointment to get to, so we should probably get going."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Lianne apologized. "I didn't mean to keep you."

Sighing in relief, Veronica thanked Duncan for his hospitality and bid Madison, Trina and Connor a perfunctory goodbye. While she was waiting for Meg to finish saying her own goodbyes, Logan walked over to her.

"I, uh, guess I'll see you in a couple of months," he said.

"Yeah," Veronica replied flatly. "For the big party."

"You don't sound particularly enthusiastic about it," he noted.

She shrugged. "Well you've been to one party, you've been to them all, right?"

"Our parties tend to be a little more… extravagant." He nodded towards Trina. "Once she gets going, there's no stopping her."

"I'm sure it'll be _lovely_," Veronica said, echoing Logan's words to her mother. She looked over at Meg, who had finally finished saying her farewells to Duncan. Veronica glanced up at Logan briefly. "See you around."

Frustrated by how aloof she'd become, he simply nodded. "Yeah, okay. See you."

Without another word, she walked away to join the rest of her family. As he watched her go, he felt an acute sense of loss that he hadn't been prepared for. _This is a good thing_, he reminded himself. _I can't get involved with someone who lives three thousand miles away. _Still, when she didn't turn back to look at him, he couldn't help being disappointed.

As they walked away, Logan stood silently, listening to their conversation. Lianne glanced over at Veronica, really looking at her for the first time since she'd arrived. "What on earth are you wearing?" she asked.

"You can thank your two youngest for this," Veronica informed her.

Overhearing, Lilly grinned and turned towards her sister. "So, did we do a good job packing?" she asked innocently.

"I'm not speaking to you," Veronica replied.

"Oh, c'mon, it was funny," Lilly insisted. She glanced behind her, where Logan still stood watching them. Smiling, she added, "And it looks like it worked."

"Like _what_ worked?" Veronica asked with a sigh. "Embarrassing me?"

Lilly rolled her eyes. "No, silly. Showing everyone how _hot_ you are. Especially Logan."

"Yeah," Veronica replied sarcastically. "I seriously doubt that."

Her little sister shook her head, exasperated. "You're so clueless, sometimes. All of these guys are totally hot for you, and you're not into _any_ of them?"

"Some of us aren't as interested in chasing boys as we are in other things," Veronica told her.

"Why not?" Lilly questioned. "What else is more fun?" With that, she hurried over to Meg to grill her sister on all of the details of the trip.

Veronica watched her go, lagging behind the rest of her family. She'd thought that she'd be excited to get off the ship; to finally get back to her normal life. Yet she felt just as restless and preoccupied as she had for the last three days. Against her better judgment, she took one last look towards the ship before she stepped off the dock. But there was no one in sight.

**xxXxx**

Veronica didn't feel like herself again until she got home and saw her dad. He gave her an enormous hug when she walked in the door, acting as though he hadn't seen her for months instead of days. After he'd finished greeting the rest of them, he and Veronica wandered into the kitchen.

She sat down on one of the bar stools at the island, while Keith poured himself a cup of coffee. When he was finished, he leaned against the counter, studying his daughter curiously. "You okay honey? You seem a little down."

"I'm fine," she replied automatically. He gave her that look of his, the one that told her he didn't believe her, so she continued with as much cheer as she could muster. "Really, I'm fine. Just tired."

"Did you have fun, at least?" he questioned. "Did that Echolls boy give you a hard time?"

"He was fine."

"Fine," Keith repeated, nodding his head slowly. "I see." He suspected there was more to the story, where Logan was concerned, but he decided not to push. "Well I really missed you, kiddo. It's good to have you home."

"I missed you too, Dad," Veronica said honestly. "Very much."

Keith stood up straight and walked around the island, giving her a kiss on her forehead. "It'll be nice to have a conversation about something other than clothes or boys, for a change. Although, speaking of boys, you've had quite a few gentleman callers since you left."

"Anyone interesting?" she asked.

"Just the usual suspects. Casey, John… and Dick, of course." Keith paused to take a sip of his coffee. "I have to say, what he lacks in intelligence, he more than makes up for in determination."

Veronica sighed. She knew the time had come to have a talk with Dick , but she felt so emotionally drained that she wasn't sure she had it in her today. _But he's still my friend. I should at least call him back._ With that thought in mind, she stood up. "I better get in touch with him before he reports me missing to the authorities."

"I _am_ the authorities," Keith reminded her with a grin.

"And you never let us forget it," she remarked affectionately. "See you later."

"See you later, kiddo," Keith replied. "And Veronica?"

"Yeah?"

"Go easy on him, okay? He's not a bad kid."

Veronica couldn't help smiling at his uncanny ability to read her mind. "I know, Dad. And I will," she promised.

**xxXxx**

Later that afternoon, Dick and Veronica strolled down the beach together in silence. This was a very rare occurrence; he normally talked her ear off. Yet today, he seemed rather subdued. Almost morose. After several minutes of this, he stopped walking. She stopped too, looking up at him curiously.

"So you and Gant are back together, huh?" he asked abruptly, kicking at a shell with his bare foot.

"What?" Veronica laughed. "No. Who told you that?"

He glanced up at her. "Like ten people."

"Ten _actual_ people, or ten imaginary people?" she joked.

"Ten actual people." He paused. "Well, okay, maybe it was two. But still. They said you two were getting all frisky at Mac's party."

"Hardly," she replied. "We played a game of water volleyball. If that's your idea of getting frisky, all of the rumors about _you_ must be grossly exaggerated."

"You think I'm gross?"

"What?" she asked, getting more exasperated by the minute. "No, I don't think you're gross. It's just an expression."

"I know you still hook up with him, sometimes," he blurted out.

"Dick… That's really none of your business."

"I know," he muttered. "But I don't have to like it."

She smiled up at him, touched by his protectiveness. Yet he didn't return her smile. He was looking down again, digging at the sand with his toes. "Look, I've gotta tell you something. And I know you're not gonna be happy about it."

_Uh-oh_, she thought. _Here it comes_. Thinking quickly, she said, "About your trip to Cancun? Don't worry, I already know all about the donkey shows. I mean, I'm extremely _disgusted_ by them, but if you and your buddies feel the need to go-"

"I'm being serious, Ronnie," Dick interrupted, looking up at her again. "I had a long talk with Kendall the other day, and I made a decision."

"Okay," she said slowly. Vastly relieved that he hadn't just admitted his undying love, it took Veronica a minute to actually process his words. When she did, she looked back at him in confusion. "Wait, who's Kendall?"

"My agent. Kendall O'Dell?"

"Oh," she replied. "Um, when did you hire an agent?"

"Like a month ago. Didn't I tell you about this?"

Realizing that the reason she didn't know this was because she'd been avoiding Dick as much as possible, lately, she suddenly felt very guilty. _I'm a bad friend._ "Uh, no," she said quietly. "I don't think so." Veronica paused. "Why do you even _have_ an agent?"

"My dad thought it was a good idea. To like, protect my brand, or whatever."

"Your _brand_?" she laughed.

"Yeah," he said, a bit defensively. "Surfing is like the _one_ thing I'm good at. People actually know who I am."

"I'm sorry," she replied contritely. "I wasn't making fun of you."

"Well, anyway," Dick continued, "we were talking about my options. You know, like serious stuff, about the future. And, uh, she thinks I should drop out."

"Of what?" Veronica asked. And then it hit her, and she looked up at him in shock. "Of _school_? Dick, that's insane. It's only two months until graduation. Why the hell would you drop out now?"

He shrugged. "There are lots of competitions going on right now. If I wait until June or July to go pro, I'm gonna miss out on a shitload of opportunities."

"Oh come on, you can't be serious. How much difference can a couple of months make? And it's not like you need the money."

"It's not about the money," he explained. "It's about getting my name out there, for real. Kendall thinks I could be the next big thing. Like, the Kobe Bryant of surfing."

"Except for the fact that you're blond, and white, and about a foot shorter?"

Dick continued, undeterred. Veronica's opinion was one of the only ones that actually meant something to him, and he wanted her to understand. "Kendall thinks I should, like, go into acting and stuff. She calls it 'transitioning'. She said it's sort of like an insurance policy, for when I get too old to compete. Or if I get my leg bitten off by a shark or something."

Veronica didn't reply. Truthfully, she was both surprised and impressed by Dick's ambitions. He'd never really talked about his future with her before. Any time someone asked him what he was going to do after graduation, he'd say, "I don't know, man. I just want to surf." She wasn't sure she agreed with his agent's _methods_, but at least the woman was motivating him.

Taking her silence for disappointment, Dick continued on in a rush. "She already got me a role, too. In that movie Mac's dad is doing? I didn't even have to audition or anything. I guess she knows a lot of people, or whatever. Called in some favors." He paused, studying Veronica to try and figure out what she was thinking. "You're not saying anything," he said impatiently. "Are you mad?"

"No, I'm… I just think if you don't finish high school, you're going to regret it."

He glanced away guiltily. "I'm flunking three classes," he admitted.

"Dick," she admonished.

"I know, I know. This is why I didn't want to tell you. I just- I missed a lot of school this year, and even with tutors…" He shrugged. "Not everyone is smart like you."

"You're smarter than you've ever given yourself credit for," she replied.

"Nah. I'm just awesome at faking it." He grinned and put an arm around her, and for once she didn't shake it off. It was weird to think about school without him. _No more goofing around at lunch or letting him copy off my homework before class. Everything is changing..._

"So, Lilly told me you went on a yachting trip with a couple of prep school boys from New York," Dick said.

"We did," she confirmed.

"You told me you couldn't come to Cancun because you had to catch up on your school work. So… how'd you have time to go yachting?"

"I didn't want to go, I assure you. I did it as a favor to Meg. Believe me, it wasn't how I wanted to spend my Spring Break. Or who I wanted to spend it with."

Taking her meaning very differently, he smiled to himself. "Okay, I guess I forgive you for skipping Mexico. But we're planning a trip to Vegas in July, and you've _got _to come. I'm not taking no for an answer, even if I have to knock you out and stuff you into my suitcase."

"Remind me, do you need legs to surf?" she asked.

"Um, duh."

"Well then I wouldn't suggest stuffing me into a suitcase. That course of action might result in something involving a baseball bat and your kneecaps."

"Oh, yeah, your dad's pretty protective huh?"

"My dad wouldn't be the one swinging the bat," she informed him with a sweet smile.

Dick laughed, unbothered by her threat. "So listen, everyone's gonna be there. It's gonna be a kickass time."

Against her better judgment, she nodded her head slowly. "Okay, fine," she agreed. "I'm in." _At least it'll be something to do._

"Sweet," he grinned. "Oh and by the way, it's six inches."

"Excuse me?"

"Kobe's six foot six. I'm six feet tall. So I'm six inches shorter, not a foot. See? I can do math too." He looked down at her, mouth open in false astonishment. "Wait a minute, did you think I meant my-"

"Do _not_ finish that sentence," she cut him off.

He chuckled and started walking again, and Veronica followed. _Well, at least he's back to his normal self again_, she thought. She glanced over at the ocean, glimpsing a ship far on the horizon. _At least one of us is._

**A/N Austen has been tough to tackle, I won't lie. I'm trying to straddle the line between modernizing the story while staying true to both the spirit of the book and the characters we all love so much. I really hope that I'm accomplishing this. Please let me know what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N This one is for KatiePotatie, one of the most awesome chicks I know (and one of the few people who loves Logan Echolls just as much as I do). Happy (belated) Birthday, girlie! :)**

Chapter 10

It had only been three days since Veronica's junior year of high school had officially ended; three days since the promise of a long, lazy summer had stretched out so tantalizingly before her. As Veronica had watched Meg and Mac receive their diplomas, she'd mused on how they'd all spend their last carefree summer together. _Bonfires at the beach, concerts, relaxing by the pool…_

Yet several days of unseasonably cool, cloudy weather had forced everyone indoors for the time being. And it wasn't long before Lilly, Gia and Mandy's constant bickering began to wear on Veronica's nerves. She tried her best to steer clear of them. But there were only so many places to go, even in a house as large as theirs.

On the first morning, she'd attempted to take a jog around the neighborhood. She hadn't even made it to the end of Longbourn Drive before it began to rain. On the second morning, she'd decided that she would stay in her room and read. Yet, despite a penchant for re-reading her favorites often, she simply couldn't find a book to suit her mood. She placed an order online for several books, to ship next day air.

When Veronica woke up on the third day, she was determined to be in a better mood. She lay in bed for several moments, thinking about what would snap her out of this funk. _I know. I'll go see Wallace. He's working at Fresco today._

Although he'd only lived in Neptune for a year, Wallace Fennel had quickly become one of Veronica's closest friends. They'd been paired up as lab partners in Chemistry, and writing funny captions beneath the pictures in their textbook was the only thing that helped them make it through Mr. Vane's tedious lectures.

_Whoever gets that book next year is in for a good laugh_, she smiled to herself. With that thought cheering her up significantly, she got out of bed and headed over to her closet. Yet it was nearly empty, and she couldn't find anything to wear.

Her mother had gotten into a fight with their maid two weeks earlier, having accused her of stealing several expensive bottles of wine. Veronica didn't know if she'd drank them herself and forgotten, or if Lilly and Gia had helped themselves. Either way, the maid had stormed out. _And the piles of dirty clothes are growing into mountains, down in the laundry room._

Spying a suitcase on the floor, Veronica realized that she'd never unpacked the clothing from their yacht trip. _Not exactly outfits I wear very often_, she thought with a grimace. _But maybe there's something decent in there._ She knelt down on the floor and unzipped the suitcase, then began rifling through it for something wearable.

It only took a few seconds for her to remember how ridiculous most of this clothing was. The red satin dress was a wrinkled mess, and something had spilled on the black one. She pulled them both out onto the floor, trying to find the source of the spill. She began to pile the clothing into an uneven stack beside her, stopping when she caught a glimpse of plaid flannel.

_Duncan's pajama pants… what are these doing in here? Didn't I give all of that stuff back? Oh no. That means… _Her hands grazed against a soft black cotton t-shirt, and she knew what the logo would say before she saw it: Brooklyn Bowl._ Fantastic. I forgot to give Logan his t-shirt back. And, no doubt, he thinks I kept it on purpose. _

Veronica reached her hands back into the suitcase, lifting up all of the remaining clothing. She quickly found the item she was looking for, sandwiched in between a halter top and her black baby doll nightie. _Logan's hoody._

Her fingers stroked the dark grey material absently, as her mind travelled back to that night. She could hear his voice in her mind so clearly, laced with amusement as he'd removed his jacket. _"I'm beginning to think that this is all part of some wild plot to divest me of every article of clothing I own."_

Struck with the strangest urge, Veronica lifted the sweatshirt up to her face and inhaled. Impossibly, his scent still lingered on the material after all of this time. And it brought back memories in waves, thoughts she hadn't allowed herself to dwell on for a single moment since that trip…

Standing outside of the salon with Logan, that first evening, watching the sun dip down into the waves… Teasing one another mercilessly while he took her on a tour of the ship… Sitting across from him in the hot tub, water bubbling up around them and steam misting into the air…

Veronica's bedroom door burst open, and she dropped the hoody guiltily. Gia stood in her doorway, one hand still on the knob. "Guess who just got invited to hang out on the beach with _all_ of the actors from Sammy's movie?"

"Um, Donald Trump?" Veronica returned. "No, wait… Oprah?"

"No, dummy, us! _All_ of us, even Mandy. Chip just sent Lilly a text, asking her to pick the spot. So it's totally happening, tomorrow night at Dog Beach!"

Veronica just barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Ever since filming had started on her uncle's movie, two weeks earlier, Lilly and Gia had talked about nothing else. They'd gone down to the beach nearly every day, quickly making friends with all of the actors and surfers involved in the film.

The twins had taken a particular liking to Chip Diller, a pro surfer with a leading role who had aspirations of becoming the next Leonardo DiCaprio. They'd spoken about him so often that Keith Mars had threatened to petition his brother-in-law to get him kicked off the film. Although Veronica had yet to meet him, she was rather disappointed that her father was only joking.

"So, my wonderful, beautiful sister," Gia continued, "I have a favor to ask you."

"What favor?" Veronica replied suspiciously.

"It's just a teeny _tiny_ favor," Gia replied. "And have I mentioned lately that you're my _favorite_ sister?"

"Gia…"

"Okay, okay. Can you ask your friend Weevil to get us a keg?"

Veronica made a face. "I'd think a big Hollywood star like Chip Diller could handle the refreshments himself."

"Oh, he totally can. He just doesn't really know anyone around here yet to hook him up, so… Lilly and I sort of told him that we'd take care of it."

Veronica stood up slowly. While she wasn't in a hurry to supply her younger sisters with alcohol, she was also well aware of the fact that she'd enlisted Weevil for this very purpose herself, on a number of occasions. She didn't want to be a hypocrite. _But they're only fifteen…_

"I'll think about it," she finally replied.

"Veronicaaaaa," Gia whined. "Pretty please, with a cherry on top? We've had, like, _zero_ fun since school let out. And wait until you see these guys, they're _super_ cute." Gia glanced down at the pile of clothing on the floor, biting her lip before she added hastily, "I'll even do your laundry."

"You really _are_ desperate," Veronica noted.

Gia clasped her hands together, bouncing up and down on her heels. "Come on, say yes. Say yes, say yes, say yes-"

"O_kay_," Veronica relented, holding up her palm. "Okay, I'll do it. Just please stop talking."

Gia broke into a huge grin, clapping her hands together and reaching forward to hug her tightly. "Best sister ever!" she declared. And then she spun around and called into the hallway, "Lilly! She said yes!"

"Told you she would," Lilly replied from down the hall.

"We're gonna have so much fun tomorrow!" Gia squealed. She started walking out of the room, but Veronica grabbed her arm.

"Not so fast." She nodded towards the pile of clothes. "You better keep your promise."

Gia rolled her eyes. "Fine. But I'll do it later, okay? Right now I have my own wardrobe problems to deal with. We _seriously_ need to hire a new maid." With that, her sister took off down the hall.

Certain she'd just made an enormous mistake, Veronica sighed heavily and headed for her dresser. Once she managed to find a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, she walked back over to the closet to grab a jacket. Her eyes fell upon the discarded grey hoody, and she hesitated. Frowning to herself, she reached into her closet and pulled a black cardigan off the shelf instead. And she vowed not to think about the owner of that hoody for the remainder of the day.

Yet this soon proved to be an impossible promise to keep. When she walked into the kitchen, only a moment later, the first thing that caught her eye was the headline on her father's opened newspaper. _The Neptune Navigator_ proclaimed, in bold letters, "New Kane Software Facility to Create over 1,000 Jobs".

Upon hearing her enter, Keith Mars lowered his paper and offered his daughter a smile. "Good morning, sweetheart."

"Morning, Dad," she replied. She grabbed a mug off the rack on the wall and set it down on the counter, reaching for the tea kettle.

"Looks like Meg's new beau is being heralded as the savior of Neptune," he remarked.

"Is that so?" Veronica asked. She finished filling the kettle with water, set it on the stove and lit the burner. Then she turned around to face her father, leaning her back against the counter. "I wasn't aware that we needed saving."

"Well, to be honest, things could be better. Our tourism trade has taken a big hit since the E-String Strangler fiasco."

"Oh, you mean that time you sent Lamb to the slaughter?" Veronica clarified with a grin.

Keith shook his head, grimacing slightly. "He _begged_ me to take the lead on that case; really had me convinced that he'd take it seriously. I'm just glad I got there in time." He nodded towards the paper. "Anyway, the Kane's setting up shop here can only help boost our local economy."

"That's what they said about the Death Star," she joked.

"Ah, but they made the mistake of building that sucker out in space. Had the Empire chosen to construct it on Tatooine, Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen just may have been able to send Luke to the Academy after all."

Veronica laughed. "Looks like movie night is finally starting to enrich your pop culture knowledge."

"The _Star Wars_ movies were from _my_ generation, I'll have you know," Keith remarked. "Well, the good ones, anyway."

"Can't argue with that." The tea kettle began to whistle. Veronica turned the burner off and poured hot water over the teabag in her mug. "So, um, does that article say when the new place is opening?"

"Sometime this fall, I think."

"Huh." Veronica swirled the teabag around in her mug absentmindedly. _So does that mean they're not coming back here this summer after all? But Meg said the party is still in the works… Wouldn't they have told her, if their plans were cancelled?_

Gia and Lilly walked into the kitchen, then, momentarily distracting her. Veronica took a seat next to her dad while the twins searched the kitchen for something edible. Finally settling on cereal, they then proceeded to argue over which one of them would get the last of the Cheerios.

Trying to tune them out, she turned to her father. "Hey, did a package come for me this morning?"

"No, I didn't see anything."

"What'd you order?" Lilly asked curiously.

"Some books." She glanced at the time on the microwave clock and frowned. "They should be here by now."

"Why don't you just use a Kindle?" Gia suggested.

"Because I don't want to," Veronica replied. "I want an actual book."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Gia pressed. "It's all the same words and you don't have to wait."

"Why the hell do you care how I read my books?" she snapped.

Both sisters looked at her in surprise, and Veronica felt instantly contrite. She rarely lost her temper, especially with Gia.

"Wow, _someone_ needs a Midol," Lilly remarked, nudging her twin in the side. Gia giggled.

Keith Mars took a sip of his coffee, trying not to dwell on the fact that his odds of having five daughters and no sons had been one in thirty-two. _I really shouldn't bother playing the lottery anymore, should I? _He cleared his throat and turned towards his two youngest. "So, what are you girls up to today?"

"Heading to the beach," Gia replied instantly, taking the empty seat on his right.

"I should have guessed."

"Chip's filming a scene with Dick this morning," she continued. "It turns out that David has been fooling around with Brody's girlfriend for _months_. And Brody is _not_ happy."

"I see," Keith replied. "Well, maybe you'd better let this David and Brody sort things out on their own."

"Brody is Chip's _character_, Dad," Lilly spoke up. "And David is Dick's. We've told you this at least ten times."

"I have a hard enough time keeping your _real_ friend's names straight, honey," he replied with a grin. "You really expect me to remember the fake ones, too?"

"You should come watch them film," Gia urged him. "It's, like, crazy fun. There's a big fight scene today, and they're gonna have stunt doubles and everything."

"Well, you kids know how much I like crazy fun. But I have to get to work in a few minutes." Keith set down his paper, folding it in half, and stood up. He looked at the twins. "Can you girls promise me that you'll spend at least a couple of hours this summer doing something that doesn't involve the beach? Like, oh, reading a book?"

Lilly made a face. "On summer break? Ew, Dad."

"Ew," he repeated gravely. "What was I thinking?"

Keith kissed all of his daughters goodbye and told them he'd see them at dinnertime. As soon as he left the room, Lilly turned to Veronica. "Did you call Weevil yet?"

"Weevil's never up before noon," she replied. "So no, not yet."

"But you're still going to, right?" Gia made sure.

"Yes," Veronica sighed.

"Why are you acting all put out about it?" Lilly asked. "You'll be drinking from the keg, too."

"No, I won't," she corrected. "I'm not going."

"_What?_" Gia demanded.

"Veronica, don't be ridiculous," Lilly said calmly. "You're going."

"Why would I-"

"Top three reasons?" Lilly interrupted. "One, there are going to be some serious hotties there, and you haven't dated anyone in, like, forever. Two, this pissy mood of yours is getting old, and you need to get over it. And three? Because it's _summer_, Veronica. What's better than a beach bonfire?"

Veronica hesitated. She hated to admit it, but Lilly had raised some valid points.

While she considered what her sister had just said, her eyes fell upon an empty bottle of wine sitting on the countertop. The picture on the label looked familiar, and she squinted to read the name above it. _Pemberley Woods. Logan's family label._

She looked down, her gaze straying to the newspaper beside her. _The Kane's and the Echolls, all around me…again._ _When will I be rid of them?_ Veronica stared into her near-empty tea cup, remembering her early morning conversation with Logan, that last day on the ship… him shirtless, her in pajamas…trading insults that she _thought_ had been in jest…

…and then she could hear Madison and Trina, laughing at her; laughing at her family... whispering to one another as her mother stood there on the docks, no doubt talking about her present state of inebriation…

Despite her diligent efforts to push all of these memories away, Veronica realized she'd never quite managed to shake off the experiences she'd had on that yacht. _And I haven't been myself since I got back. I've been…off._

She set her teacup down and stood up, forcing a smile for her sister. "You know what?" she asked. "You're right. I'll go."

**xxXxx**

It was a beautiful afternoon in Manhattan for a rooftop party: warm and breezy, without a hint of the humidity that normally plagued the city in June. Logan wasn't the least bit surprised that the weather had cooperated for Duncan's graduation party. Celeste Kane simply wouldn't stand for anything less than perfection, especially when it came to her only son.

The pool was open, but no one was in it. That would come later, when all of the adults had left. Strictly speaking, swimming wasn't allowed at the Metropolitan Club after hours- especially without a lifeguard on duty. But Logan knew no one would say a word. The rules simply didn't apply to the Kane's. They never had, and they never would.

Logan ordered a beer from the bar and made his way through the crowd, eyes scanning the partygoers for a specific guest who'd been rather elusive today. He walked up several steps towards a secluded area that had been converted into a Japanese garden. Spotting a stone bench, he took a seat and looked back down at the masses from his vantage point.

The party had been relatively boring, so far, although he acknowledged that was more his fault than anyone else's. He just hadn't been in the mood for socializing, today. Logan took a long sip of his beer, stretching his legs out before him and leaning backward on the bench. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but he was more than willing to put up with it for a few minutes of peace.

Madison's obvious interest in Logan had had the unexpected benefit of keeping many of her schoolmates at bay, so far today; but it wouldn't work forever. Even now, a leggy brunette from her grade was regarding him with a smile. She was his type. _Well, my _usual_ type_, he amended. An image of Veronica in that lovely gold bikini popped up unbidden in his mind.

He frowned. Of all his memories of Veronica, that one was both his favorite and his least favorite. He had never been more attracted to her than he was at that moment; but that was also the moment that his attraction had truly and irrevocably shifted into something…else.

A pair of small hands covered Logan's eyes, and his frown turned into a smile. "I've been looking for you."

"Sorry, I've been hiding," Heather confessed with a giggle, removing her hands. "Celeste keeps threatening to introduce me to the son of one of her cousins." She took a seat beside him, leaning her head against his arm. "Is arranged marriage still legal? Because the way she's talking is seriously starting to freak me out."

"What cousin?" Logan asked suspiciously.

"Hugo somebody? I don't know, but I think he owns the Empire State Building."

"The Empire State Building, huh? Well at least you'll finally have a central location to dock that dirigible of yours."

Heather tilted her head up to make a face at him. "Very funny." She sat up straight, twisting her body so she was facing him, and suddenly her expression was very serious. "Hey, Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you so sad?"

"What?" he asked, surprised.

"Since I got home, I've just noticed… you seem sad."

"How could I be sad?' he replied, dropping a kiss onto her forehead. "_You're_ here."

"But why are you sitting over here, all alone?"

"I'm not alone," he corrected her.

Heather rolled her eyes. "Stop being so literal." She paused for a moment, sizing him up. "You know what you need? You need a girlfriend."

"Trust me, that's the _last_ thing I need," he muttered.

She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes widening as she stared back at her brother. "You _like_ somebody."

"Huh?"

"You met someone who you really, _really_ like," she insisted. "You did, I can totally tell! Oh. My. _God_. Tell me everything, immediately."

"How the hell do you do that?" Logan demanded.

"Oh, please. Who knows you better than I do?" she returned. "Sooo…" She nudged him in the side with her elbow. "What's her name?"

Logan shook his head, smiling slightly at her enthusiasm. He took a long sip of beer before replying, but he knew he'd reply. Heather rarely asked for anything, but when she did he could never deny her. Besides, she was the only person who he trusted completely; the only one who he'd even consider talking about this with. "Veronica," he finally said.

"_And?_" she prompted, with an exasperated look.

"And she's amazing," he admitted in defeat. "And I can't stop thinking about her."

She let out a high pitched shriek, clasping her hands together in excitement. Logan glanced around quickly, hoping she hadn't drawn any attention towards them. But only the brunette seemed to be looking their way. He frowned.

Noticing his reaction, Heather sighed. "You're going to make this all complicated, aren't you."

"I'm not _making_ it anything," he told her. "It _is_ complicated."

"How?"

"Well, for starters, she lives all the way across the country."

"Haven't you ever heard of a little invention called the telephone?" she asked patiently.

"Yes," he smirked.

"Facebook?" she continued. "Email? Texting? Skyping?"

"I'm aware of the technology available, thanks," he answered dryly. "But I'm not interested in having a long distance relationship. Besides, there are other reasons. Things you wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Logan sighed again. _She's as tenacious as a pit bull, sometimes._ "She's just not the type of person I usually date."

"Well, _that's_ a relief," Heather remarked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I can't _stand_ the girls you usually date," she informed him.

"What?" Logan asked. "Why?"

Heather shrugged. "They're all so… meh."

"Meh?" he repeated. "Gee, thanks. And how come you've never told me this before?"

"Because I didn't want to hurt your feelings. No one likes to hear they have terrible taste. Especially you," she teased. Heather reached for her purse. "So what's her last name?"

"Why?" he asked warily.

"Duh. I want to see a picture of her!" She pulled her phone out of her purse, looking up at him expectantly.

"Mars," he mumbled.

Heather quickly brought up Facebook on her phone, then began typing rapidly with her thumbs. Logan finished his beer silently, setting the empty bottle on the bench beside him while he waited.

"Oh, Logan, she's pretty…" Heather said. Her tone was hushed, almost reverent. "I like her smile."

He glanced at the picture. It was a close up of Veronica, hair down and sun upon her face. Her blue eyes were bright and her smile easy. She looked wonderful, and he felt a pang. "Yeah," he said softly.

Heather looked up, instantly sympathetic. She studied her brother for a moment, while he fought to keep his eyes off the photograph. She reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a quick squeeze. "Too bad her profile is private…" she remarked. A rather devious grin spread across her lips. "I wonder if Uncle Mark would let us take a peek?"

"You're terrible," he laughed. He glanced at Heather, alarmed to see that she actually seemed to be considering it. "Heather… you better not ask him."

"Fine," she consented. "But you should friend request her."

"What? No."

"Why not?" she inquired. "Doesn't she like you back?"

He shrugged. Spotting a passing waiter, he held up his empty bottle, gesturing that he needed another. The waiter nodded and walked quickly towards the bar.

"Of course she does," Heather said dismissively. "Everyone loves you."

"In your completely unbiased opinion," he teased. Eager to change the subject, he nodded towards a tall, shaggy-haired blonde kid who kept glancing in their direction. "Looks like you have an admirer of your own."

Heather sat up a bit straighter, surveying the crowd below them with interest. She laughed slightly, relaxing back onto the bench. "Oh, that's just Ryan."

"Ryan who?" he questioned.

"Sinclair. We've hooked up a few times, but we're keeping it casual." Heather looked up in time to catch Logan's alarmed expression, and she flashed him a mischievous grin.

"Heather…"

"Relax, big brother. I'm only joking. We're just friends." Her smiled faded, and she looked down. "I learned my lesson, okay?"

Logan shifted closer to her, putting one arm across her shoulders and squeezing her to him tightly. "I know you did," he said softly. "I just worry about you. You're all I have left."

"You're such a drama queen," she said affectionately.

He half expected her to push him away, teasing him about being such an overprotective big brother. She was never shy about telling him when he was being too serious, and she always knew how to pull him out of his moods. But this time, she leaned her head against his arm and closed her eyes. "Do you think I look like Mom?" she asked, her tone wistful.

Heather had only been nine when their parents died, and she'd always been afraid that her memories of them would fade away. She asked Logan about them often.

"You have her eyes," he told her. "And her sense of humor."

She smiled. "Mom was so funny. She used to do that silly dance around the kitchen, remember?"

"Yeah," Logan said. "I remember."

Heather sighed. They were silent for several moments, absorbed in their recollections; each one enjoying the familiar comfort the other provided. When the bartender approached them with Logan's drink, Heather sat up straight and flashed her brother a disapproving look. He rolled his eyes, producing a generous tip for the bartender and nodding his head in thanks.

"You drink too much," she scolded him.

"Probably," he agreed. "But it _is_ a party."

"So what's your excuse every _other_ night?" she countered, raising her eyebrow.

"I don't know. Boredom?" he suggested.

She shook her head at him. "Well then I hope California keeps you busy." She started to play with a chunk of hair, twirling it and un-twirling it, and Logan knew she had something on her mind. "Speaking of California…" she began, "did you ask him?"

"I did," Logan affirmed. "But he wouldn't go for it." He patted Heather's shoulder. "Sorry, kiddo. It's not my call. Jake's still your legal guardian until I turn eighteen."

"I know," she replied, managing a smile. "Thanks for trying."

Logan took a sip of beer, careful to hide his own frustration. He'd really thought he could persuade Jake to let Heather go out west with them for the summer, but his foster father had proven immovable on the topic. Logan couldn't help wondering if rumors about the previous summer had reached Jake's ears, but he didn't dare ask.

Jake had merely said that fourteen was too young to be without adult supervision for the whole summer. _I suppose he doesn't consider Trina and Conner adults. Can't say I disagree._

"It's good to be out of school, at least," Heather remarked, ever the optimist. "And it'll be nice to hang out with some of my friends again." She watched the throng of people below her for a moment, trying to make out familiar faces in the crowd. But the sun had just dipped beneath the city skyline, and the light had grown dim. She turned back to her brother. "Hey, is Kendall here tonight?"

"No," Logan replied. "Duncan invited her, but she couldn't make it out of L.A."

"Good," she muttered.

Logan frowned. "Why good?" he asked. "I thought you liked her?"

Heather shrugged. "I don't know," she replied vaguely. "I've been hearing kind of weird things about her lately." She glanced at her brother inquisitively, but his expression gave nothing away. "I'm just not so sure I trust her, anymore. Or… that I trust her with _you_."

Logan laughed lightly. He wasn't sure what Heather had heard, but this wasn't a conversation he was about to have with his little sister. _Ever._ "I can handle Kendall," he assured Heather. "I know she can be a bit much, but she's one of my oldest friends. And she's done a lot for our family, over the years."

"I know," Heather said. "You're right." She could tell Logan was done talking about this subject, so she stood up, offering him her hand. "C'mon. We've been anti-social long enough."

Logan accepted her hand, allowing her to pull him up off the bench. They walked down the stairs together, back towards the rest of the partygoers. The noise level seemed to have increased in direct proportion to the amount of alcohol that had been consumed. Logan looked back at the secluded garden longingly.

It wasn't long before Heather was whisked away by a gaggle of her friends, and Logan soon found himself back at the bar. He leaned against it while he waited, watching his sister greet someone with a large smile and a hug. _I'm so glad she's happy…_

"Seems a little young for you."

He turned to see the brunette, the one who'd been eyeing him earlier, standing beside him. He took a swig of beer. "She's my sister."

"Oh," she giggled, pretending to be embarrassed. "Sorry."

This is the part where he'd usually raise his eyebrow and suggest she figure out a clever way to make it up to him. The girl was attractive, and obviously willing. _And remaining in her company will keep Madison off my back for the rest of the night… _But Logan just couldn't seem to muster the energy required to dance this little dance. _Not tonight._

"Innocent mistake," he replied. Without another word, he stepped away from the bar. Behind him, the brunette sighed in dismay.

Logan hadn't walked far before he felt a hand clasp his shoulder. He looked up to see Jake Kane, regarding him with a pleasant smile.

"Just the person I wanted to see," Jake informed him. "Can I have a quick word with you?"

"Sure," Logan agreed.

He wondered, briefly, if he was about to get an earful for drinking so much. But Jake had always been fairly liberal, where that was concerned. His foster father knew that the kids in Duncan and Logan's crowd were going to drink, no matter what he said. And Jake much preferred them to do it under his roof, where he could at least keep an eye on them.

Logan followed Jake towards the other end of the rooftop, away from the throng. They soon arrived at the dining area, where fully set tables awaited the guests. Twinkling lights wrapped around the potted trees that stood on the perimeter, and lit candles adorned each table. It was a rather romantic setting, Logan noted. An image of Veronica flitted enticingly through his mind.

They sat down at one of the empty tables, and Jake considered Logan thoughtfully. "I know you're probably anxious to get back to your friends, so I'll just get right to the point," Jake began.

"Okay…"

"There's been a slight change in plans. Construction on the Neptune facility is moving forward more rapidly than we'd expected. But unfortunately, I'm going to be tied up in Hong Kong for the next two weeks."

Logan exhaled silently. He began to peel back the corner on the label on his beer absently. "When do we need to leave?" he asked.

"Tomorrow."

Logan glanced up in alarm. "To_mor_row?"

"I know," Jake sighed. "I'm really sorry to spring this on you so last minute."

"But why do you need _me_ to be there?" he questioned. "I mean, don't you think Duncan will be okay taking care of things for a couple of weeks without me?"

"Honestly?" Jake replied. "No."

Logan was silent for a moment, while he tried to absorb all of this. Jake's response had caught him off guard. _I'm not ready for this; not yet. I'm not packed, I've barely even had a summer yet. And going back to Neptune means that I'm going to see _her_ again…_

"I'm going to be very frank with you, Logan. I know that Duncan is older than you, and I know that he's legally an adult. But when it comes to the real world, you and I both know that my son is a bit naïve." Jake smiled sheepishly. "I'm afraid that, in trying to protect our children, Celeste and I have made the mistake of keeping them a bit too sheltered."

Before Logan could reply, Jake continued. "Duncan is very trusting. He doesn't want to believe that there are people out there with dishonorable intentions. But you…"

"…think _everyone_ has dishonorable intentions," Logan finished.

"You understand people's true nature," Jake re-phrased it diplomatically. "And I'd like you to be there to steer him in the right direction."

"What if Trina and Conner…" Logan trailed off at the amused expression on Jake's face.

"I think we both know that's a disaster waiting to happen," Jake replied with a smile. "Listen, there's more to it than simply not wanting him to be on his own. The plant is at a critical stage in its development. It's crucial for Duncan to become familiar with the key players, at this point, and to establish himself as their leader. I want him to be involved on a day-to-day basis, overseeing the plans and making certain that things progress.

"But Duncan has no experience running a business," Jake went on. "You do. He's going to be overwhelmed, at first, and he's going to need your advice." He paused, growing a bit concerned at Logan's silence. As he watched his foster son take a long sip of his beer, Jake had to remind himself that Logan was far younger than he appeared. _Life has made him wise beyond his years, but he's still just a teenager._

Jake cleared his throat. "All of that being said… I'd never force you to do anything you didn't want to do, Logan. I know you have your own life, your own responsibilities. If you'd rather stay here for the summer-"

"I'll go."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Logan replied. "I'm sure."

"Thank you, Logan. I'll feel so much better, knowing that you're there looking out for him. I owe you for this."

"You don't owe me anything," he replied softly.

Jake smiled, feeling a swell of paternal pride which he knew he didn't have a right to. Essentially, Logan had raised himself. Yet he'd always felt an affection for Logan that rivaled, if not surpassed, what he felt for his own children. He stood up and walked forward, pausing to place his hand on Logan's shoulder. He squeezed it tightly. "Your father would be very proud of the man you've become."

Without another word, Jake left to re-join his guests. Logan finished off his beer, thinking on Jake's last words. _Doubtful_, he decided. _It took a lot to impress Dad. But I keep trying…_

He smoothed his hand over the silver linen tablecloth, wondering what the rest of his summer would hold. Between helping out with the plant and running his own business, it seemed likely that work would be commanding most of his attention. As for play, the only solid plan he had was to attend the party Trina and Madison were hosting.

_And that's not for another two weeks…_ _So will I see her, before then? Do I even want to?_

Logan fished his phone out of his pocket, quickly bringing up the same photo Heather had discovered, earlier. It was the first time he'd been able to look at Veronica, _really_ look at her, without fear of being discovered. He wondered who'd taken the picture. _Someone she likes, _he decided. _She looks happy. Not the way she looked when I saw her last._

He stared at the picture for a long time, until her face became fuzzy and distorted. And then he shut the screen of his phone off and closed his eyes, accessing a far clearer image of her from his own recollections. They were in the tiny hallway below deck, and she was looking up at him with flushed cheeks. Something black and silky peeked out tantalizingly from beneath her robe, and he could feel her breath against his neck. _"Were you…watching me?"_

_Yes,_ he finally admitted to himself. _I _absolutely_ want to see her again._

**xxXxx**

Veronica would never admit it to her younger sisters, but she was having an extremely good time at the party. The clouds had finally passed, leaving a cool blue sky in their wake. An orange sun hovered close to the horizon, casting a wavy auburn path across the waves. Veronica breathed in the salted air deeply, feeling at peace for the first time in a long while.

"Times like this, it actually makes sense that they named it the Pacific."

Startled, Veronica turned around to see a young man standing just behind her. Wearing a grey _Billabong _t-shirt and frayed cargo shorts, he held a blue Solo cup that identified him as a fellow party guest. But Veronica had never seen him before. He had bright blue eyes and sandy brown hair that waved slightly. He was regarding her with a crooked smile that was undeniably charming.

"I hope this isn't your A material," she returned.

"Are you kidding? This is gold."

"Gold? It's not even bronze," she informed him.

His smile widened, and he stepped forward two paces until he stood beside her. "Don't judge too soon," he requested. "You interrupted me before I got to the good stuff."

"Lay it on me."

"No, you ruined it. I have to go kill myself now."

"You could try to drown yourself in the ocean, but it's a little too… pacific, at the moment."

"Well played," he grinned. He put out his hand. "I'm Troy. Vandegraff."

"Veronica," she replied, shaking his hand firmly. "Mars."

"Ah, Ve_ron_ica. I hear you're the person to thank for the refreshments."

"I do what I can to help my fellow man… get drunk."

"Well, on behalf of the entire party, you have our eternal gratitude." Troy placed his palms together, bowing his head reverently.

"Until tomorrow morning, when you're praying to the porcelain gods," she laughed.

"You never know," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I could be doing something _much_ more enjoyable, tomorrow morning…"

"With pickup lines like yours?" she played along. "I wouldn't count on it."

He laughed good-naturedly. "Guess I'm moving on to Plan B: get girl drunk."

"There's a reason it's a classic," she acknowledged. "Now you just have to find a girl naïve enough to fall for it."

"And you're clearly far too clever for _that_ plan," Troy replied. His smile faded slightly, his expression becoming more earnest. "But I hope this isn't your polite way of telling me to back the hell off."

Veronica hesitated before answering him. She had no idea where this guy had come from, or why she was having such a flirtatious conversation with a total stranger. But she'd found him incredibly entertaining. _And I haven't had this much fun talking to someone since… well, for a while._

"Hey, Veronica?" Lilly called, walking towards her. "Do you know where the cups went? Dick said you were the last person who had-" She stopped short when she reached them, spotting Troy. "_Hi_. Who are you?"

"Troy," he replied, holding out his hand.

Lilly shook his hand, holding on several seconds longer than was entirely appropriate. She tilted her head, gracing him with her most alluring smile. "Are you crashing?" she asked playfully, placing one hand on her hip.

"No, I was invited," he laughed. "I'm in the movie."

"_I've_ never seen you on set before," Lilly remarked, continuing to look him up and down. She tossed her long hair behind her and turned towards the group of people who were gathered around the bonfire. "Gia, c'mere!"

A moment later, Gia, Chip and Meg were all gathered around them. Chip greeted Troy with a slap on the back. "I should have known you wouldn't waste any time making friends with the prettiest girls in town," he joked.

Gia grinned at the compliment, eyeing Troy curiously. "So you guys, like, know each other?"

"We met a couple of years ago, at this surfing thing down in Mexico," Chip explained. He nudged Troy in the side with his elbow. "Good times, eh buddy? Anyway, this is Gia, Lilly, Meg and Veronica Mars," he introduced, gesturing to each of them in turn. "And this is Troy. He plays Corey."

"So _you're_ the one holding everyone up," Lilly remarked.

"Guilty," Troy admitted. "I've been stuck in L.A., wrapping on another film. Just finished up this morning and hopped on a plane." He glanced around appreciatively. "It's beautiful here. Did you all grow up in Neptune?"

The question was directed at Veronica, but Gia jumped in. "Yeah, our family's been here forever. There's even, like, a statue of one of our ancestors in the park. Where are you from?"

"Los Angeles, originally," Troy replied. He turned back to Veronica. "You're really lucky, living in a place like this."

Veronica smiled, oddly pleased that he approved of Neptune. As much as she complained about it, it was her home and she loved it. "It has its moments," she replied. He held her gaze for several seconds, and she found herself admiring the deep blue of his eyes.

Gia and Lilly exchanged a look; but Meg's attention was firmly elsewhere. Spotting something in the distance, she drew in her breath sharply. Meg grabbed hold of Veronica's arm, unintentionally digging her nails into the skin.

"Jesus, Meg, what the hell-" Veronica stopped abruptly, realizing what had gotten Meg's attention. Duncan and Logan were strolling down the beach, not twenty feet away from them. _And they're heading directly towards us._

Astonished at the sight of them, Veronica couldn't help staring. Both dressed casually, Logan wore cargo shorts and a faded _Old 97's_ tour shirt, and he appeared to be carrying a pair of flip flops in his left hand. Veronica's mind swirled with questions… _When did they get here? Did they just come from the airport? Did they know we were here?_

"What should I do?" Meg whispered frantically.

Veronica forced her attention back to her sister, exhaling silently before responding. "Say hi to him, obviously," she replied, sounding far calmer than she felt. She took a long sip of beer, lowering her cup slowly to find they were only steps away. And then, before she was entirely prepared, they were standing right in front of them.

Duncan greeted her with a quick kiss on the cheek, reserving his embrace for her sister. While they hugged, Logan and Veronica exchanged glances. Her mind went completely blank, until finally she was forced to take the advice she'd just given to her sister. "Hi," she said stupidly.

"Hey," he replied. Their eyes met, and he held her gaze for several seconds before she looked away. Frustrated, Logan stuffed his free hand into his pocket, looking down at his sand-covered feet.

"Well isn't this a bit of dumb luck?" Duncan asked, unable to hide his pleasure. "We were just on our way to your house, and Logan suggested we stop and watch the sunset first."

_Because I was stalling_, Logan thought. _Dumb luck indeed._

"Or you saw the keg and decided you wanted a beer," Veronica joked, finally finding her voice.

"Well, now that you mention it," Duncan replied with a smile. "I wouldn't say no to a beer. Are you guys hosting this party?"

"Chip's hosting," Gia spoke up. "Have you met Chip, Duncan?"

"No, I don't think so," he said, extending his hand towards Chip. "Hey, man, I'm Duncan…"

While the introductions continued, Veronica risked another glance at Logan. He was looking directly at her, with an expression she couldn't decipher. She frowned, making up her mind that she'd ignore him for the rest of the evening.

"… and this is my friend Logan," Duncan finished.

Logan glanced up automatically at the sound of his name- and froze. He fixed his gaze on Troy, eyes narrowed and jaw set. Troy looked back at him, startled. Logan made no move to shake his hand or greet him in any way, and the silence stretched on awkwardly.

Veronica's eyes shifted from Logan to Troy, wondering what all of this was about. She knew Logan wasn't the friendliest guy in the world, but he had better manners than to simply ignore someone who he was being introduced to.

Meg turned to Duncan. "So, how about that drink?" she suggested. "Logan?"

Logan finally looked away from Troy. "Sure."

The two of them followed Meg to the keg, and Veronica let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Before she had a chance to compose herself, Troy turned his attention back to her. She managed a smile for him, hoping she could still salvage the rest of her night.

"So, listen," he began, "I'm really sorry but, uh, I've got to split."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I've got an early casting call in the morning," he informed her. "Like, painfully early."

Veronica wondered why he hadn't mentioned that before, but she merely nodded. "Okay. I'll, um, see you around."

"Definitely," he returned, smiling warmly. She couldn't help smiling back, and he winked at her before walking back towards the group to make his goodbyes. Veronica watched in surprise as he headed right for the keg.

Logan didn't see Troy approaching until it was too late. Troy stopped right beside him, looking up at him expectantly. Logan continued to fill up his cup from the keg, attempting to ignore him. But when Troy made no move to leave, he stood up straight and faced him.

"Walk away," Logan warned, his voice low and dangerous.

"Oh c'mon, man," Troy replied. "Hasn't it been long enough?"

Logan took a half step closer to him, looking him directly in the eyes. "Walk away from me _right now_, while you still have use of your legs."

Troy shook his head slightly, but complied. "Okay, fine. Have it your way." He put his hands up and took several steps backward, before turning around and walking towards Chip and Dick.

Veronica hadn't been able to hear what they'd said to one another, but she'd watched the exchange curiously. To the casual observer, Logan seemed completely unaffected by the conversation. Only Veronica noticed that his left hand remained tightly clenched for over a minute after Troy left. _What in hell was _that_ all about?_

She was momentarily distracted by the sight of Troy, walking back towards her. "I thought I got rid of you," she remarked when he reached her.

"What can I say?" he grinned. "I just can't seem to get enough of you."

"Well I'm sure we'll run into each other again soon," she assured him.

"Maybe even tomorrow?" he suggested.

Veronica looked at him, a bit taken aback.

"Relax," he laughed. "I'm not asking you out on a date…yet. Dick just invited me to his big shindig tomorrow. And I assume you'll be there…?"

"Um, yeah," Veronica replied. "I didn't think that was still happening, but if it is- sure."

"Excellent. I'll see you there." Troy reached out and squeezed her arm. "It was great to meet you, Veronica Mars."

"You too," she replied, surprised that she actually meant it.

Troy smiled and began walking away. But after a few steps, he paused and glanced back towards Logan. As he'd suspected, Logan had been watching the whole time. _And he doesn't look pleased._ Troy glanced at Veronica, and then back at Logan, his lips quirking up into a devious grin. And then he walked away, finally leaving the party for good.

Logan glared after him, seething. _I wonder how much he'll be smiling when I turn his face purple and knock out a couple of his teeth? _He'd taken several strides towards Troy's departing figure before he caught sight of Veronica; she was watching him again. He stopped walking, struggling to get hold of his temper. He didn't want her to see him like this.

_But why the hell was she even talking to that worthless piece of shit? No, more than talking- flirting. _Logan felt another wave of anger wash over him, at the memory of Veronica looking up at Troy with that particular smile she'd graced _him_ with, on more than one occasion. _What's going on between the two of them? How the hell does she even _know_ him? Can't she tell what he really is? Maybe I need to warn her…_

_No. It's nobody's business, not even hers. _

Logan took a deep breath and began to walk towards Veronica. He couldn't avoid her any longer, and he didn't particularly want to. It was a bit surreal to see her again, in the flesh, when her image had been plaguing his memories, his dreams, for the last two months. Impossibly, she was even more beautiful than he'd recalled.

"So. You're back," she greeted him.

"I'm back," he affirmed. The setting sun glowed auburn on her hair, her skin, creating dark hollows on the curve of her neck and between her breasts. Tantalizing shadows that he wanted to explore with his fingers, his lips, his tongue… His mind went momentarily blank. Logan took a sip of his beer before he was able to continue. "How's your, uh, summer been so far?"

"Shockingly boring compared to yours, I'm sure," she retorted.

He smiled, pleased to see this playful side of hers again. "It may surprise you to learn that the tedium of my summer has likely rivaled yours," he informed her.

"So, what, no jet setting with supermodels?"

"Well _that_ I do every weekend," he smirked. "I meant besides that."

"Naturally," Veronica replied.

Logan laughed. "Nah, mostly I've been hanging out with my sister and going to see live music."

"How is your sister?"

"Good," he answered, pleased that she was asking. "I wish I could have seen her more before we came out here, but...my summer got cut a little short."

Veronica could hear the slight note of resentment in his voice; it was obvious he still wanted nothing to do with Neptune. _He's merely biding his time here until he can get back to New York._ "I'm sure your sentence will be up before you know it."

Logan frowned; he hadn't meant to offend her. "I'm sure it will," he replied lightly. He glanced at the ocean for a minute, watching the tide roll in. There was so much he wanted to say to her. _That I've been thinking about her, every day since I saw her last. That I've missed her. That I'm so happy to be standing beside her again._

He realized, suddenly, that he was nervous. It was a sensation he didn't feel often, and _never_ while talking to a girl. He cleared his throat, fighting the unwanted emotion, but he couldn't seem to make the words come. After a brief pause, he finally managed to speak. "It's good to see you again, Veronica."

She glanced up at him, surprised. As usual, she could never seem to figure out where he was coming from. Logan looked sincere enough, but she couldn't afford to trust him. _Not again._ Veronica cast her eyes downward, suddenly thoroughly aggravated with him. Her calm had been shattered; her pleasant buzz had vanished. She had the oddest urge to yell at him.

"Logan, there you are!"

They both looked up to see Duncan and Meg heading towards them. _They_ looked absolutely thrilled about being in one another's company, and Logan felt the slightest twinge of envy. _Why do things with me and Veronica have to be so… difficult?_

"So, Meg and I were just talking," Duncan began, "and we thought it would be fun to go to the movies tomorrow. What do you think? You guys want to come?"

"We can't go," Logan reminded him. "We've got meetings all day tomorrow."

"Oh. Right," Duncan replied, looking glum. "I forgot about that."

"Well then I guess it's a good thing your dad forced me to come on this trip with you," Logan said dryly.

He finished his beer, annoyed that he'd have to spend all day helping Duncan instead of sitting in a cool, dark theatre with Veronica. He crumpled up his cup, tossing it into a nearby trash can, and turned towards Duncan. "Speaking of, we've got to be there really early tomorrow. We should get going."

Duncan couldn't keep the disappointment off of his face, but he knew his friend was right. "Another time, okay?" he promised Meg. "We've got all summer."

"Of course," Meg agreed. "Any time."

Impulsively, he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay," she smiled.

"Time to go, buddy," Logan interjected. Duncan wasn't much for PDA, and his show of affection towards Meg had come as a bit of surprise. Logan had never asked his friend what, if anything, had happened between him and Meg on the ship. _But now I wish I had. Because he obviously didn't listen to a fucking word I said._

He glanced at Veronica, who seemed far happier about what had just occurred than he did. "I'll see you around," he said. "Enjoy the rest of your night." _Just not too much._

"Yeah, you too," she replied vaguely. And the next thing she knew, Duncan and Logan were gone.

As soon as they were out of sight, Meg turned to her with an enormous grin on her face. She launched into a play-by-play account of her brief encounter with Duncan, and Veronica managed to smile and nod in all the right places. But her thoughts were far away. She felt restless again; unsettled. When Meg finished speaking and went off to refill her cup, Veronica opted to walk towards the shore. She wanted to be alone, so she could think clearly.

But that wasn't meant to be. Dick found her almost immediately, and he didn't look happy. "Okay, who the hell was _that_ guy?"

"Who, Troy?" she replied, being purposely obtuse. "I thought you were introduced?"

"No, not him," Dick corrected. "The dude who showed up with that other guy; the one you were just having a cozy little conversation with."

"Nobody," she replied, distracted. "Oh, shit, I forgot to tell him I have his t-shirt."

"Why the _hell _do you have his t-shirt?" Dick demanded. "What happened between you and this douchebag, Ronnie? Who _was_ that guy?"

"It was Logan Echolls," she sighed.

Dick's mouth dropped open. "Echolls?" he repeated, incredulous. "Like, _Echolls_ Echolls?"

"Yes."

His attitude changed instantly. "Holy shit. I heard a rumor he was involved in this thing, but I totally didn't believe it. Why else would he be here, though, right?"

"Hang on, involved in what?" Veronica asked, confused.

"In the movie. Duh."

"Involved _how_?" she pressed.

Dick ignored her, continuing on his own thought path. "Dude, if you know him, can you put in a good word for me the next time you see him?"

"Not so much of a douchebag now, huh?" she teased him.

"Um, obviously. He's loaded, and he's got crazy connections." He took a swig of beer. "Hey, I invited that Troy guy to my big graduation bash tomorrow."

"I heard," she replied. "I was a little surprised to hear you were still having it."

"Why wouldn't I, weirdo?"

"Um, because you didn't _actually_ graduate?" she reminded him.

"A mere technicality," he informed her loftily.

"No, an actual reality."

"Whatever, it's all semitic."

"Are you trying to say semantics?" she asked.

"Maybe," he admitted.

"Still not right." Veronica grinned, despite herself. "But I approve of the effort."

"I'm way better at other stuff," Dick informed her, gracing her with his most suggestive look.

"So I've heard," she said dryly.

"You ready to take a ride on the-"

"Dick," she interrupted him.

"Exactly," he grinned. He looked down at his cup. "Damn, I'm out. You need more _cerveza_?"

"No, I'm good," she replied.

Dick took off down the beach, but turned after a few steps. "I'm still not cool with you having that dude's shirt, you dirty hooker!"

"Yeah, thanks for letting the entire party know!" she called back.

He laughed and headed towards the keg.

She smiled, but it faded quickly. Veronica continued to walk along the damp shore, shivering in the cool night air, until she was far away from the other partygoers. High tide was coming in quickly. The waves were no longer lapping gently at the shore, but crashing down violently beside her.

Veronica walked towards higher ground and sat down on the sand, looking at the brightening crescent moon for a very long time. When the sky had grown completely dark, she stood up and made her way back towards the party, wondering if her life would ever get less confusing.

**xxXxx**

Mr. and Mrs. Casablancas weren't known for their frugality, especially when it came to their only son. So the extravagance of Dick's graduation party came as no surprise to Veronica- despite the rather obvious truth that their son had not, in fact, received his diploma.

Not a single guest seemed to mind, as they danced to L.A's hottest deejay and dined on the finest cuisine that southern California had to offer. An enormous stack of graduation presents and envelopes adorned a long table in the foyer, reinforcing the fact that the most affluent people in the world were allowed to create their own realities.

Feeling like a complete hypocrite, Veronica placed her own card on the pile and went searching for Mac. She hadn't walked five steps before she was offered champagne, beer, wine and even Jell-O shots by two different waiters. She accepted a glass of wine and headed through the mass of bodies, finally spotting Mac at a table in the back.

"Veronica!" Mac greeted her enthusiastically. "Over here!"

She grinned at her cousin knowingly as she took a seat beside her. "Mac, how much have you had to drink?"

"Ohhhh, I don't know," Mac laughed. She held up a champagne flute, nearly dropping it. "They just keep refilling my glass."

Veronica took the glass from her hand and set it down gently on the table. "Maybe you should take it easy for a few minutes," she advised.

"Maybe _you_ should take it easy," Mac suggested, looking at her wine glass pointedly. "Casey's here, and he's looking for you. And he looks _good_."

Veronica glanced around, only partially out of habit. Casey had been a bit standoffish with her, since she'd ditched him during Spring Break. She wanted to make things right between them, before he left for NYU in the fall. But she was afraid of repeating bad patterns.

She didn't see Casey, but she did spot Dick and Troy. She watched them do a shot together, laughing heartily and slapping each other on the back when they were done. _They look like they've known each other for years_, Veronica noted, surprised. Her group of friends wasn't usually so welcoming to strangers.

Catching her eye, Troy smiled and waved. The two boys stood up and walked over to her table, acquiring Chip, Lilly, Meg and Gia on their way. Everyone said their hellos and took a seat at the table. Veronica was pleased when Troy chose to sit next to her. She was distracted enough by his sudden nearness to miss a good portion of the conversation. When she began to tune in again, she wasn't sure what they'd been talking about.

"Well I'm glad you didn't invite him," Lilly was telling Dick.

"Ugh, seriously," Gia agreed. "He's the _worst_."

"Wait, who are we bashing?" Mac asked.

"Logan Echolls," Lilly said distastefully.

"Yeah, what's up with that guy?" Chip asked. "He seems like kind of a dick." He glanced at Veronica. "No offense."

"I'm not offended in the least," she replied, wondering why he'd called her out specifically.

Troy glanced over at her, surprised at her response. He continued to study her carefully, while she wasn't looking.

"Oh, c'mon, guys," Meg spoke up. "He's not that bad."

"Oh whatever, Meg." Lilly rolled her eyes. "You think Charles _Manson_ has redeeming qualities."

"No," Meg corrected. "I just think you should get to know him better, before you form your opinions."

"Thanks, I'll pass," Gia retorted. "I don't care how rich and cute he is, he's a total jackass."

Veronica looked down. She knew she should be happy about the sisterly solidarity. After all, their opinions on Logan had largely been formed based on the negative things she'd told them about him. And yet, she felt a bit… guilty. Like she should defend him. _I mean, it's not like he doesn't have _any_ good points._

"So I suppose this means you guys aren't going to his party?" Meg asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, we're _totally_ going to his party," Lilly laughed. "You think we'd miss the hottest event of the summer?"

"Um, hello?" Dick asked, gesturing to the party going on around them.

"Second hottest," Meg said kindly.

"Thanks Meggles. You're awesome, even if everyone else sucks." Dick stood up. "Okay, who wants another shot?"

Everyone except for Troy and Veronica stood up. Dick pointed his finger at both of them. "You're not allowed to be lame at my party. I'm bringing one back for both of you."

"You got it, buddy," Troy grinned.

They were silent for half a minute after everyone left, until Troy turned to Veronica with an inquisitive look. "So, not a lot of Logan Echolls fans here in Neptune, huh?" he asked.

"Nope," she affirmed.

"That's surprising," he told her. "Back in New York, people act like the guy can walk on water."

"Well everyone _here_ thinks he's an arrogant ass," she informed him. "As you may have noticed."

"Do you know the Echolls family well?" he inquired.

"No, not at all. I only met Logan a couple of months ago, and I've never met his sister. I was sort of… forced to spend a few days in his company, during Spring Break."

"Forced? Not by him, I hope."

"Oh, no, nothing like that," Veronica assured him. She paused, confused. "Wait a second. You said 'back in New York'. I thought you were from L.A?"

"I am," he replied. "But I've spent some time in New York." He took a sip of beer before continuing. "In fact," he went on, "I stayed with Logan and his sister for a couple of months, last summer."

Veronica stared back at him, too astounded to respond. Troy laughed. "I can tell you're surprised. You'll be even more surprised to hear that I've known Logan almost my entire life."

"But… at the party last night, you two seemed-"

"Less than friendly?" Troy offered. "You're very observant. We haven't been on speaking terms for nearly a year."

Veronica did the math, quickly realizing they must have had a falling out during Troy's stay in New York. She had to bite her lip to keep from asking him what had happened, her curiosity was so overcome. Luckily, Troy continued.

"My dad was the DP on one of Aaron's first films, and the two of them struck up a friendship," Troy began. "Aaron liked him so much that he insisted on using him in every film he did after that. Even made it part of his contract. My mom died when I was a kid, so Pop used to bring me on set all of the time. When Logan came on set to watch his dad, he and I used to hang out together. We became really good friends. Logan was actually the one who taught me how to surf."

Troy took another long sip of beer. "When Aaron died, he left a little something for me and my dad. But after Pop got sick…" He cleared his throat. "Well, the money didn't last long. I told him I'd try to talk to Logan, but he was too proud. He told me they'd done what they could for us, and to leave it be. So I did."

Veronica nodded, intrigued. She took a sip of her wine, as she waited for Troy to continue.

"But Logan and I stayed friends. And when I told him about this indie I wanted to make in New York, he said he'd back the project. He even invited me to stay with him for the summer. The Kane's were all in Europe, so we had the place to ourselves."

_Yes_, Veronica thought. _I remember Trina and Duncan talking about this._ "They went to the French Riviera, right?" she interjected.

Troy was slightly taken aback by the extent of her knowledge, but he merely nodded. "Uh, yeah," he replied. "I think that was it. Anyway… at first, it was great, you know? Living it up in Manhattan, no parents to bother us? But after a couple of weeks, I started realizing how much Logan had changed."

"Changed how?"

Troy frowned. "He spent every night with a different girl, getting drunk and stoned. I mean, not just weed, you know? Coke, pills, you name it."

Veronica sat back in her seat, once again surprised. _That doesn't sound like Logan… Well, the women, maybe, but I never saw him with anything stronger than a glass of scotch. Although, how well do I really know him? Who knows what he was getting into on that ship, when I wasn't around? _

_Or… maybe he's cleaned himself up, since then?_ Short stints in rehab were not uncommon, even among her own acquaintances. _Disproportionate income doesn't combine well with negligent parenting. Logan's income is far more excessive, and his parents are no longer around to guide him…_

"I tried talking to Heather about it, but she refused to believe that there was anything wrong," he told her.

"I hear they're very close," Veronica interjected. "Maybe it was difficult for her to admit that he was having problems?"

"Especially because she was nearly as bad as he was," Troy informed her. "Blacked out drunk almost every night."

"You're kidding me?" she asked, frowning. "I can't believe he'd let her get so out of control…"

"Well, to be fair, _he_ was so messed up he didn't realize how bad _she'd_ gotten. Why do you think she got shipped off to that fancy boarding school in New Hampshire?"

Veronica was silent. She'd wondered why Heather went to a different school than the rest of them. _I guess that would explain that…_

"And that's not even the worst of it." Troy lowered his voice, and she leaned closer to him again. "After about a month, this... a relationship started to develop. Between Logan, and this girl who was only thirteen years old."

"Thirteen?" Veronica repeated doubtfully. _Surely, Logan isn't as bad as _that. She studied Troy's face carefully; his expression seemed earnest. _And what reason would he have to lie?_

Troy took a quick sip of his beer, noting both the skepticism and disgust on Veronica's face. "Yeah, I know," he remarked. "I mean, don't get me wrong- she looked and acted a lot older. But still, Logan was sixteen. He should have known better."

"Uh, yeah," Veronica agreed. "Not to mention the fact that it's illegal. I mean, if anything physical happened between them." She took a sip of her wine, thinking hard, before glancing back up at Troy. "Are you sure it was… _that_ kind of relationship?"

Troy grimaced, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. After a moment, he nodded. "Yeah," he replied quietly. "I'm sure."

Veronica set her glass down. She wasn't sure if it was the wine or the heat, but she suddenly felt dizzy. She focused her gaze on Troy, as she tried to reconcile his account of Logan with the person she had met. She searched her mind for some kind of memory, some kind of clue that would prove his version either true or false.

And suddenly, she remembered something; a remark Connor had made to Logan, that first night on the ship. _"She doesn't _look_ fifteen… Besides. like _you're_ one to talk." _

_Is _this_ what Connor was referring to? Could this really be true? _Veronica felt ill. She swallowed hard and forced herself to speak. "So what happened next?"

"Well the whole thing was totally twisted, but everyone was too afraid to tell him what they really thought. They were all too busy kissing his ass." Troy shook his head slightly, looking wistful. "I guess it's not completely his fault, you know? I mean, look at the way he grew up?"

Veronica wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but she nodded for him to continue. She needed to hear the rest of this story. _Even if I don't like what I hear._

"Anyway, I _had_ to speak up; to tell him that what he was doing was wrong. And that I didn't like who he'd become."

"What did he say?" she urged.

"He punched me in the mouth," Troy replied. "And then he kicked me out of the house, in the middle of the night. With not a penny to my name."

Veronica thought back to Logan's reaction to Troy the previous night. The menacing look he'd given Troy, the way his hand had been clenched into a fist. "Jesus. What did you do?" she asked.

"Luckily, I was able to get in touch with some of my other friends in the city, and they let me crash with them for the rest of the summer. But the money for the movie stopped coming in, without any notice. We managed to put it out there anyway, but we just didn't have the budget to do it right. So it tanked." Troy sighed heavily. "I'd put all of my savings into that film. After that, I was completely broke."

Veronica shook her head. "I just can't believe he left you out to dry like that."

"I know. His father would be so disappointed, if he could see him now," Troy said sadly. "If it wasn't for a friend of mine, recommending me for these last couple of roles, I'd be living out on the street at this point."

Troy paused, lifting his beer to his lips and taking several long gulps. When he looked back at Veronica, she was staring hard at the table. "The only thing I have going for me right now is this movie," he admitted. "If it does well, it could be my big break. And if it doesn't…"

Veronica looked back up, waiting for him to continue. Satisfied that he'd reclaimed her attention, Troy flashed a rakish grin at her. "If it doesn't, I guess I'll just have to hope the homeless shelters in Neptune are nice and clean."

She managed a small smile, but remained silent for several moments. She was trying to digest everything Troy had just said. The picture he'd painted of Logan had been extremely unflattering, and it justified every negative feeling she'd ever had towards him. Yet even _she_ had never thought him capable of this kind of behavior. _But what _possible_ reason would Troy have to make this up? I need more proof…_

"So what happened to the girl?" she questioned casually. "The one Logan was involved with?"

Troy finished off his beer before replying. "Well, it should have been a full-blown scandal. But it's obviously been covered up by the Kane's."

Again, this seemed to track. Having spent an adequate amount of time with that family, Veronica had no doubt that they were extremely capable, and more than willing, to put a stop to any rumors they found unbecoming. She wiped the condensation off the outside of her wine glass with her index finger, deep in thought. "You mentioned something about the way Logan grew up. What did you mean by that?"

Troy shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. "They're just rumors. I'm sure most of them aren't true." He glanced up, looking Veronica directly in the eyes. "But there is one that I'm pretty sure _is _true."

"What is it?"

He looked around quickly, dropping his voice once again. "People say there was something going on between Logan and his dad's personal assistant, Kendall."

"What do you mean, going on?" Veronica asked. "Like, they were sleeping together?"

"Exactly."

Veronica did the calculations in her head quickly. "But he was only… twelve when his parents died, right?"

"Yup. And she was twenty."

She stared at him, truly appalled. If this rumor really were true, then Logan had been a victim himself. _But maybe he doesn't understand that? Maybe he doesn't know that it was wrong? He didn't have anyone to teach him right from wrong, after his parents died... And if he really did lose his virginity at the age of twelve, to a woman eight years his senior, he was bound to grow up with pretty shaky ethics. Sleeping with a thirteen year old girl would have seemed completely normal, to him._

Veronica wished, now, that her insatiable curiosity hadn't compelled her to coax this tale from Troy. _If he's right, then Logan isn't just an arrogant ass- he's an amoral predator. And I spent _hours_ in his company, alone, without any inkling of who he really was. What does that say about my judgment? God, I even wanted to _kiss_ him. More than once._

Troy eyed her with concern. She was being far too quiet, and it was making him slightly nervous. "Hey, listen," he said quickly. "It's just a rumor. Kendall's a good looking woman, and you know how people like to talk."

Veronica nodded slowly. Then she looked him in the eye, very carefully. "But the other thing, about him and the younger girl. Are you _sure_ about that?"

Troy didn't blink. "Positive," he replied instantly. Impulsively, he reached across the table and took hold of her hand. "I'm sorry. I know you said you weren't close, but… it's hard to believe someone you know can be involved in something like that."

"Yeah," she said quietly.

When she didn't pull her hand away, Troy continued with far more confidence. "He likes everyone to think he's so refined," he remarked. "But I know the _real_ Logan Echolls. And now, so do you."

**A/N Tsk tsk, Mr. Wickham. You are one devious and dastardly dude! Hope you all approve of my casting decision… I considered a few different options, but Troy Vandegraff seemed the most worthy of the role. Also hope you enjoyed Heather as Georgiana. The Heather/Logan relationship has a special place in my heart (just like Mac/Logan).**

**Thanks for reading! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter :)**

**xxXxx**

**Edited 8/15/13: There was some valid critique about Veronica's easy acceptance of Troy's story in the first draft I posted. After some thought, I decided that I agreed that it was a little too out of character, even for an AU version of Veronica. Truthfully, I rushed through that scene the first time around because I wanted to get the chapter posted.**

**I've edited the last scene to correct this issue, and I'm much happier with the results. I know many of you have already reviewed (and thank you so much for that- this was the most reviewed chapter of Darcy yet!) but if you haven't, I'd love to hear feedback on this change. Thanks again for the encouragement on this story. For the record, I have no intention of abandoning this or any of my stories, ever.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Listen up, fanfic people. When I say I'm not abandoning any of my stories, I mean that **_**I'm not abandoning any of my stories**_**. So, okay, sometimes it might take me a teeny, tiny little while *cough* seven months *cough* to update them. But I will **_**always**_** come back. Because Promises isn't just Veronica's perfume, you got me?**

**So, now that that's out of the way- it's the Netherfield Ball! I can't even tell you how much fun I had writing this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy.**

Chapter 11

Logan walked into the dining room, took one look at what was transpiring and immediately turned around to walk out.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Trina spoke up behind him. "You can-"

"I'm not helping," Logan informed her decisively. He spun around on his heel to face her and Madison, eyeing the stacks of invitations piled on the table suspiciously. "How many people, precisely, will be invading this house on Friday?"

Trina shrugged. "I don't know, about two hundred?"

"Two hundred _people_?" he repeated.

"No, two hundred monkeys," she returned sarcastically. She rolled her eyes at Madison, and went back to addressing envelopes.

"We know, like, five people in Neptune," he pointed out. "So who are these other hundred and ninety-five degenerates?"

"Friends of Meg's, mostly," Madison replied.

"I had no idea her social circle was this vast," he smirked.

"We're inviting all of the actors on the movie set too," Trina added. "We needed a little celebrity to spice things up."

"There's exactly _one_ A-list celebrity on that set, and I happen to know that she's flying back to Ohio for a funeral this weekend," Logan informed them. He picked up the pile of envelopes closest to him, glancing at each one for a few seconds before tossing it back onto the table negligently. He didn't recognize a single name.

"Hey," Trina protested. "You're making a mess. If you're not going to help, then go find an elsewhere to be."

"Gladly," he replied. As Logan began to drop the last envelope onto the pile with the others, he caught sight of the name written on the front and froze.

After half a minute he approached Trina, setting the invitation down in front of her deliberately. "Is this a joke?" he demanded.

Trina glanced at the addressee. "Troy Vandegraff?" she asked. "No, he's invited. He's in the movie."

"He's _not_ invited," Logan corrected her.

"Why not?" Madison asked curiously. "Everyone _else_ from the film was invited. According to Kendall, he's going to be a big star."

"I don't care if he's the next George fucking Clooney," Logan retorted. "He's not coming."

"What's the deal with you two, anyway?" Trina asked, halting her task to look up at him. "You used to be friends."

"Well, we're not anymore," he returned. "That's all you need to know."

"He's coming unless you tell," Trina goaded.

"What part of you thinks blackmailing me is a good idea?" Logan asked darkly.

"I hear he's super tight with the Mars girls," Madison spoke up. "They'll be_ so_ disappointed if he doesn't show."

Noting that Logan looked rather alarmed at this news, Trina decided to stir the pot. "Yeah, that's right," she chimed in. "Meg told me that he and Veronica, in particular, have gotten really close."

Madison placed her open palm upon her chest, affecting a shocked expression. "You mean Veronica Mars has hitched her horse to a rising star? _Quelle surprise!_"

Both girls laughed. "She gets passed around more than a gif on Tumblr," Trina remarked.

Logan remained silent, his jaw tightly clenched. Seeing an opportunity to score points with him, Madison quelled her laughter and affected a serious tone. "But if you _really_ don't want him here-"

"Invite him," Logan interrupted brusquely. Without another word to either of them, he turned around and walked away.

**xxXxx **

"It's _formal_?" Veronica asked, slightly appalled. She tossed the elegant black and cream invitation onto her bedside table and stood up.

"Yes," Meg affirmed calmly, remaining seated on the bed. "What's wrong with that?"

"Are you kidding?" Veronica returned, her expression sour. "It's bad enough that you're dragging me to this thing in the first place. And now I have to get all dressed up, and be uncomfortable all night? Whose bright idea was this?"

"Madison's," Meg replied. "And Trina and I agreed with her. We wanted to do something a little different. You know, make it special." Meg smiled hopefully at her sister. "C'mon, it'll be fun."

"Right," she sighed. "Fun." Veronica gazed out the window, watching a bluebird hop along a tree limb just outside. She couldn't manage to fake enthusiasm, even for Meg.

This party had been looming for months, but Veronica hadn't given it much thought until now. She hadn't seen Logan in almost two weeks; not since the party on the beach. _Not since I heard all of those awful things about him._

"Troy's going to be there, you know," Meg added.

Veronica turned to face her sister. "He is?"

"I think so," Meg confirmed. "I know he was invited." She tilted her head to one side, studying Veronica with a knowing smile on her lips. "You like him," she stated.

Veronica shrugged. "He's alright."

"Just alright?"

"He's fun," Veronica amended. "We have a good time together. But we're just friends."

"Friends who spend an awful lot of time together," Meg noted.

Her sister had a point. They _had_ been spending a lot of time together. _Almost every day, since we met_, Veronica realized. _But always in a group._

She'd allowed Lilly and Gia to talk her into going to the beach with them several times, to watch filming, and she'd had a surprisingly good time. The actors and surfers on set were a boisterous bunch, always joking around. Since meeting them all, she'd joined them for several outings- to the movies, for a rousing game of paintball, to an amusement park. _And Troy has been there every time._

"Nothing has happened between us, though," Veronica said aloud.

"Except a lot of flirting," Meg teased.

"He flirts with everyone," she pointed out.

"True," Meg conceded. "But he flirts with _you_ the most."

"Maybe," Veronica acknowledged with a smile. Troy was undeniably charming, and she'd enjoyed their banter immensely. It all felt very easy, between them. _And maybe I wouldn't hate it if things became a little more… friendly._ "I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing what he looks like in a tux," she admitted.

"See?" Meg asked gleefully. "You _are_ going to have a good time." When her sister didn't echo the sentiment, Meg's tone became more serious. "You're nervous about seeing Logan again, aren't you? After what Troy said about him?"

"Not _nerv_ous," Veronica replied. "Just…" She trailed off, unsure how to express what she was feeling. Despite having come to like Troy quite a bit, she was still having a hard time reconciling his version of Logan. _It would be so much easier, to have an ironclad excuse not to like him._ Yet, the matter felt unsettled.

"Maybe Troy was… mistaken, about Logan's relationship with the girl?" Meg put forth hesitantly. "Maybe he took rumor for fact, and they were nothing more than friends?"

Veronica shook her head. "I asked him if he was certain, and he insisted that he was."

"Did he say _how_ he knew?"

"No," Veronica replied. "Only that he knew for sure. And why would he lie?"

Meg frowned. "I don't know. I can't imagine that he would, now that we know him a bit better. But… I also can't imagine that Logan would do such a thing. Or that Duncan would be okay with it. I mean, he seems to think so _highly_ of Logan…"

"Well, if it happened last summer, none of the Kane's were around," Veronica told her. "I _know_ that part is true, because they spoke of it on the boat." She paced to the door and back, deep in thought. "So maybe Duncan never heard the real story? Maybe he only got Logan's version, and took his side because they'd been friends for so long?"

"That's possible, I guess." Meg admitted. "But what about the other parts of the story?"

Veronica leaned against her desk. "Well, if Logan really was out of control, and Mr. and Mrs. Kane got wind of it, it makes complete sense that they'd send Heather off to boarding school. They'd want to get her away from Logan's bad influence, and out of that environment."

"True. But he didn't seem, like, stoned or high or whatever on the yacht."

Veronica nodded. "I agree." She chewed on her lip for a few seconds. "Maybe the Kane's made him go to rehab? Or maybe he got cleaned up on his own?"

"Could be," Meg replied.

"You don't sound convinced," Veronica noted.

Meg sighed. "I guess I'm just trying to make sense of it all. Logan was such a gentleman-" At Veronica's look, she revised herself. "Well, okay, maybe not at _first_. But he behaved himself much better on the boat. You even seemed to be getting along with him well, at one point."

Her words drew those pesky memories to mind again, the ones that seemed to enter her thoughts unbidden on a daily basis. Logan's amber eyes on the sunlit deck; his lips, curled into a teasing smile as they'd shared a hamburger; his somber expression as he'd spoken of his parents.

"I barely know him," Veronica insisted defensively.

Meg's eyebrows lifted at the hint of anger in her sister's voice, surprised at her reaction. After a moment, she nodded. "That's true," she said gently. "But, to be fair, you barely know Troy either."

"I know that he's never been unkind to me," Veronica returned quietly. "And I can't say the same about Logan." She took a seat at her desk, toying with a belt hanging from her desk chair while she considered the facts. Her voice was even as she continued. "I looked into the thing about the movie Troy was making, and it all checks out."

"So he really was making a movie in New York?"

"Yes. I even found an article online that said Logan was backing the film, yet he's not listed as a producer in the credits. Which makes perfect sense, if Troy's story is true."

"It does make sense," Meg agreed. "But it would be pretty low of Logan to treat the son of his father's friend so badly, especially if he was the one in the wrong. And when you consider that they'd been such close friends…"

Veronica sighed heavily and stood up. It was frustrating, not to have conclusive proof. She wasn't even sure why this all _mattered_ so much. She was only sure that it had been in her thoughts since the night of Dick's graduation party, and she couldn't seem to stop dwelling on it all.

"I don't think Troy was lying," she stated. "Dad's taught me what to look for in a liar, and Troy wasn't exhibiting any of those traits. At least, not as far as I noticed. And I refuse to believe that he'd make up a story so damaging to someone else's reputation, for no good reason."

"Then I bow to your good judgment," Meg said. "But I also choose to believe that Logan has changed for the better. He _did_ invite Troy to the party, despite their history. Maybe he's trying to make amends, for the way he treated him?"

Veronica shook her head, an affectionate smile on her lips. "You are a far, far better person than I am," she remarked.

"Just a little less cynical, maybe," Meg laughed. She stood up and took her sister by the arm. "Come on. Let's start ransacking our closets for something cute to wear."

**xxXxx**

Lianne Mars entered her eldest daughter's room without knocking, as she had a habit of doing. Veronica was zipping up the side of Meg's dress, a Grecian-style gown of pale pink with silver beading. It was the night of the Kane's party, and Lianne was overcome with excitement for her girls. A large part of her wished that she was still young, so that she could join in on the fun.

Veronica stepped away from Meg so that her sister could see her reflection in the mirror, watching as she spun around twice. "I love it," Meg announced with a smile.

"Oh, honey," Lianne spoke up. "You're too conservative for your own good. Do you want to look like a nun? Show a little skin!" She giggled at her own joke, taking a seat on Meg's bed. "You'll thank me for it later."

Meg's smile faded, her gaze straying towards her closet. "Well, I guess I could always wear that gold one…"

"Stop it," Veronica asserted. "You look beautiful, Meg. Come on, let's get started on your hair."

After a brief hesitation, Meg took a seat at her vanity. Lianne rolled her eyes, turning her attention towards her second born. "Well don't you look nice, Veronica. It's good to see you putting in a little effort, for once."

"Thanks, Mom."

The girls fell silent, as Veronica began to brush out Meg's long hair, and Lianne grew bored. She stood up, hoping her other daughters would be better company. "At the very least, don't wear a jacket," she instructed. "If you step outside and get cold, Duncan will have to keep you warm himself."

With that she left the room, and Meg and Veronica exchanged looks. "I think she was attempting a compliment in there somewhere, at least," Veronica joked.

"She doesn't mean anything by it," Meg replied. "You look _amazing_ tonight."

Veronica glanced up at her own reflection, tilting her head to one side critically. Her hair was already done, the top layer clasped and the rest falling in soft waves. Lilly had done her makeup, giving her dark, dramatic eyes. Although it wasn't her usual style, she was pleased with the results.

She'd purchased a new dress for the occasion, as well. Simple black, it had a beaded silver waist with matching accents on the straps. The front of the dress was slit almost to her hip. _I'm going to have to be very careful sitting down tonight._

"Thanks, sis," she finally replied. "Although I am glad Mom's not trying to pimp _me_ out tonight."

"No, I'm the one who gets that honor," Meg laughed. She settled back in her chair patiently, while Veronica began to work her hair into a twist. "So, Duncan told me something interesting, yesterday. I'm not supposed to say anything, but…"

"Spill."

Meg cleared her throat. "He said that Logan's an executive producer on Uncle Sammy's movie."

"_What?_"

Meg's hair slipped forgotten through Veronica's fingers, as she processed this information. She thought back to her aunt and uncle's party, remembering Sam and Logan in conversation on the deck. _And Dick said he'd heard a rumor that Logan was involved_, she suddenly recalled. _But I didn't think he was serious… _

Her mind travelled to that last morning on the ship, when Logan had been on his laptop in the Tea Room. _"I'm trying to decide if I should get involved with something. Something that may not be in my best interests, financially, but which I'm having a very difficult time passing up."_

_He was talking about the movie._ Veronica stared at her reflection, seeing the certainty in her own eyes. _But if it wasn't a good investment, why on earth would he want to get involved?_ The idea of Logan holding so much power over the fate of her own family members made her very uncomfortable. _Especially because he didn't tell me himself. Why is he keeping it a secret?_

"Veronica?" Meg prompted.

"Oh, sorry," she mumbled. Veronica sectioned off a piece of Meg's hair, struggling to concentrate on the task at hand as her mind whirled with questions. Knowing the history between Logan and Troy, his involvement in the film made even less sense. _Unless he wants the movie to fail_, she realized with a start. _In which case…_

She'd been planning to confront Logan about the rumors that night; to find out, either directly or indirectly, if they were true. Veronica had figured that she had nothing to lose. _But now... if he doesn't like what I say, he could take revenge on Sam. _

_So the best thing to do is put it out of my mind, _she decided reluctantly._ And do my very best to play nice._

**xxXxx**

The house on Netherfield Lane was not, in fact, a house. It was a mansion. Constructed several years earlier by a wealthy Neptunian architect for his far younger mistress, the Spanish-styled structure was the grandest in the area. Unfortunately, the discovery of the architect's scandalous affair had led to his financial undoing, preventing the home's planned occupation.

And so it had remained empty all of this time, dark and shuttered atop the cliff side, with no inhabitants to appreciate its glorious ocean views and perfectly manicured grounds. As their limousine carried them through the iron gates and up the driveway, Veronica peered curiously out the tinted window, eager to catch her first glimpse of the infamous home.

Soft exterior lights accented cream-colored, stucco walls, crowned by a red-tiled roof. Large chimneys capped either end of the house, and several pointed towers rose into the air at varying heights. Slender cypress trees sliced the darkening sky at the home's entrance, guarding the arched wooden doorway solemnly.

The limo slowed to a halt in front of the house, and Veronica took a deep breath as she waited for the driver to open the door. She was in unfamiliar, possibly hostile territory once again; only the thought of seeing familiar, friendly faces among the crowd enabled her to get out of the car.

Yet, despite her nerves, there was an undeniable excitement in the air. As Veronica and her sisters stepped into the foyer, and the sound of music and conversation reached their ears, they were all affected by the same sense of anticipation.

The girls were led into a vast ballroom, complete with vaulted ceilings and crystal chandeliers. A full stage had been constructed at the far end, and a live band was already playing. The dance floor was packed with people, while other partygoers milled around the outskirts eating hors d'oeuvres and sipping drinks.

Lilly and Gia made a beeline for the dance floor, as Mandy headed towards her friend Ryan. Veronica and Meg walked slowly around the perimeter of the room, searching for their own friends. Meg spotted Duncan immediately, and her face broke into a wide smile. Their host smiled in return, walking towards them quickly.

He greeted them both with a kiss on the cheek. "Meg, you look beautiful," he announced. Remembering his manners, he turned to Veronica. "You _both_ look beautiful."

"Thank you," Veronica replied.

Duncan continued speaking, but she was too distracted to listen. Her eyes scanned the crowd in the dim lighting; searching at first for Troy, and then for anyone she knew who might tell her where he was.

But instead her eyes fell upon Logan, who was leaning against the bar in a black tuxedo and staring directly at her.

The sight of him was jarring, and Veronica averted her eyes instantly. She thought she'd been prepared for this; thought she may even be able to avoid him entirely in a crowd this large. Yet his presence was consuming. She could _feel_ him watching her.

Against her better judgment, she glanced back over at him. Logan wasn't smiling, as he gazed back at her, but he didn't appear displeased. He held a champagne flute loosely in his right hand, the stem captured between two fingers, and his tuxedo jacket was already unbuttoned. He looked very much as he had the first time she'd met him. Although, this time, his expression held anything but disgust.

More than a little flustered, Veronica forced her attention back on Duncan and Meg. They were discussing the band that was currently on stage, agreeing whole-heartedly with each other about how talented they were. Their conversation drifted onto the topic of favorite bands, and Veronica began to fidget with the strap on her purse.

After half a minute had passed, her eyes strayed back to the bar. Logan was nowhere in sight.

**xxXxx**

It was disconcerting, the way she managed to affect his mood. Not a single word had passed between them, and yet Logan was already on edge. He finished his champagne in one gulp and stepped out into the courtyard, hoping the change in scenery would help him regain some clarity.

Yet, just as he'd settled himself onto a comfortable chair with a fresh glass of champagne, Veronica appeared before him once more. He didn't consciously _choose_ to watch her; he simply couldn't manage to look elsewhere. Logan's eyes followed her movement across the courtyard, admiring the curve of her bare shoulders and the way her hips swayed as she walked.

She was stunning, this evening. As she paused to lean against the stone fountain at the center of the courtyard, the slit in her dress widened to reveal the side of her right leg. Logan's eyes travelled up her calf to her exposed thigh, overcome with his desire to touch her; to taste her.

_I want her_, he finally acknowledged. _I want her more than I've ever wanted a woman before._

She was alone. It was the perfect time to approach her. Logan was halfway out of his chair when he saw that someone was already heading in her direction.

"Veronica!" Mac called. "_There_ you are. You guys certainly took your time getting here."

The cousins embraced quickly, each girl eager to catch up with the other one. Mac had been in New York for the past two weeks, visiting their aunt and uncle. Veronica had told her what Troy had said about Logan, but they hadn't been able to discuss it in any real detail. She was about to pull Mac towards a quiet corner to talk when her cousin spoke.

"Troy's not coming."

"What?" Veronica questioned. "Why not?"

Mac lifted up one shoulder in a shrug. "He told my dad he had to go to L.A. unexpectedly for the weekend. But it's probably because of you-know-who."

Veronica sighed, glancing down in dismay. _New dress, new shoes… all for nothing._ "Of _course_ he didn't want to come," she said. "Why would he, after the way Logan treated him?"

Catching sight of the object of their discussion, Mac lifted her chin slightly to indicate his presence. "Veronica," she warned, her voice low.

Veronica glanced sideways. Logan was seated at a table about fifteen feet away, by himself. He was facing their direction, but she doubted he'd been able to hear them. "I don't care," she stated aloud.

Mac studied her cousin for a few seconds before she spoke. "Look, I know you have a thing for Troy, and he's great. He's cute and fun and easy on the eyes. But Logan… I mean, look at him Veronica. _Really_ look at him."

Despite her better judgment, Veronica found herself following her cousin's instructions. Logan was watching her, again. His eyes remained on hers even as he sipped his champagne, and she wondered over his unwavering interest.

"I know you didn't start out on the right foot, but he's obviously changed his mind about you," Mac continued. "The guy stares at you, like, constantly."

Realizing she was staring right back, Veronica shifted her eyes to Mac. "But what about-"

"What Troy said?" Mac finished. "We don't even know if it's true. And even if it _is_ true, maybe there's more to the story than we know? Maybe Logan didn't realize the girl was so young, or maybe she lied to him about her age? The point it, he's a serious catch. Don't be so quick to write him off just because you're crushing on another guy."

"It's not just because of that," Veronica said quietly. She risked another glance at his table, but to her surprise he was no longer there. And then she spotted him, just steps away. He was walking towards her.

He stopped when he reached them, gaze focused entirely on Veronica. No one said anything for several seconds, and Mac looked from Veronica to Logan questioningly. "Um, hey Logan," she greeted him, in an attempt to break the tension.

Logan glanced at her, briefly. "Hey." He looked back at Veronica, placing one hand on his hip as his lips curved into a crooked smile. He lifted his chin up, speaking his request lightly. "Dance with me."

"I…" Veronica stared at him stupidly, at a complete loss for words. "I just got here, I-"

"Later then," he amended. "After you get settled."

"Okay," she agreed, her lips moving of their own accord.

Logan's smile widened. He nodded once at Mac and walked away.

"Um, what did I just say?" Veronica implored, staring at his departing back.

"That you'd dance with him," Mac replied with a grin.

Veronica closed her eyes, placing her hand on her forehead. "How the hell did that just happen?" she demanded. "I promised myself I'd _never_ dance with him."

Mac rolled her eyes, shaking her head slowly back and forth. "You obviously weren't listening to the dude's story."

"What, that he's a catch?" Veronica returned dryly.

"Well, he _is_," Mac insisted. "He's a freaking _billionaire_, Veronica. With a 'b'. Size seventy-two font, in bold, billionaire. And if the fact that he's a wealthy and successful businessman at the age of _seventeen_ isn't enough for you, can I just point out the fact that he's rocking the _hell_ out of that tuxedo?"

"I don't care about-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't care about money," Mac anticipated her. She patted Veronica's shoulder affectionately, wishing her cousin wasn't so damn stubborn. _One of these days, it's going to come back to bite her in the ass._ "Come on," she said, nodding towards the nearby bar. "Let's go get a drink."

**xxXxx**

Veronica moved from group to group as the evening progressed, desperate for a distraction. She wished, more than once, that Troy had been there to fulfill that role. Because, more than once, she'd found her eyes straying towards Logan. _Mac isn't wrong. He does look damn good in that tux. _

It had been easier to accept Troy's story blindly, when Logan wasn't right in front of her. Seeing him brought back powerful memories, and not all of them were entirely unpleasant. She needed facts, in order to make a final judgment on him, and all she had was speculation.

From her own interactions with him, she knew him capable of being duplicitous. _He smiled and flirted with me, all the while saying mean things about my family._ She'd seen him change personas rapidly, depending on who he was addressing. _But that doesn't prove anything_, she admitted grudgingly. She herself was proficient at adapting to whatever company she found herself in.

Being so successful in business likely meant that he could be ruthless. But, again, that was conjecture. She had no real knowledge of his business dealings, aside from his baffling involvement with her uncle's movie. _Maybe I _do_ need to ask him a few questions_, she concluded. _As discreetly as I can._

Veronica took the last sip of her champagne and set the glass down, heading back inside to the dance floor. She'd just stepped into the ballroom when she felt a hand on her arm. _Well, here we go._ She took a deep breath and turned around.

"Casey."

"Hey, Veronica." Casey offered her a small smile. "You look, uh, really beautiful, tonight."

"Thanks," she replied. Impulsively, she reached out and took his hand. "I've missed talking to you."

"Me too," he replied. "I'm sorry I've been so-"

"No, please," she interrupted. "If anyone needs to apologize, it's me. I should never have…"

"It's okay." Casey squeezed her hand once and let go. "So you wanna dance?"

"I'd like that," she agreed. "Let's go."

Unbeknownst to them, Madison was watching their interaction with interest. She was a bit relieved, to see Veronica dancing with another guy. Not that she considered her a _threat_, or anything. _Just because the girl finally learned how to use makeup doesn't make her any less of a skank._ Still, it would be nice to have Logan to herself.

"I don't think I've ever been so glad I already have a man," Trina spoke up. "Because it's slim pickings here, little sister."

_With one exception, _Madison thought. The object of her desire was approaching them that very moment, looking sexier than she'd ever imagined. _Tonight's the night._ She finished off her champagne and set the glass down on the table.

"Hey," Logan greeted them. "You guys know where Duncan is?" He grabbed the chilled bottle of champagne out of the bucket on the center of the table, refilling his own glass until it bubbled over.

"Last I saw, he was dancing with Meg," Trina replied.

Madison tugged her dress down slightly, exposing a rather indecent amount of cleavage. She clasped her hands together, enhancing the affect, and turned her body towards Logan. "How come _you_ haven't been dancing, Logan?"

He shrugged, taking several long sips of champagne. His eyes remained fixed on the dance floor.

Madison frowned. She leaned towards him, very deliberately blocking his view so that he'd be forced to look at her. Logan glanced up, finally meeting her eyes. "Come dance with me," she requested with a smile.

He stood up, gaze returning to the dance floor, and she shot a victorious look in Trina's direction. Madison placed her bag on the table, preparing to follow him.

Logan put his hand on her forearm, looking down at her distractedly. "Later, okay?" he asked. He swallowed the rest of his champagne and walked away, unwittingly leaving a very disappointed girl behind.

And when Madison saw who he was approaching, her disappointment turned to seething anger.

**xxXxx**

"Mind if I cut in?"

Veronica glanced up in surprise. She'd been preparing herself for this moment since she'd agreed to dance with him, and yet she was still utterly unprepared. She and Casey stopped dancing, and Casey looked at Logan.

"Uh, sure," he agreed.

Casey was too well-mannered to protest, but Veronica could tell he wasn't pleased about the interruption. It was probably for the best. What had started as an innocent reunion had been developing into something more like foreplay, as they'd gotten swept up in the music and the heat.

Veronica took a moment to catch her breath as Casey walked away. The beat was fast and the bass was loud, vibrating through the soles of her feet. _At least we won't have to talk._

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than did the song end, transitioning into a slow, melodic tune. _Wonderful._ With something close to a smirk on his lips, Logan stepped forward and placed his hands on her hips. With a silent sigh, Veronica reached her arms up and clasped them around his neck.

She wasn't quite sure where to look. Normally, in this position, she'd place her cheek against her partner's chest and close her eyes, enjoying the moment. But that was far too intimate behavior to exhibit towards someone she was pretty sure she didn't even _like_. Veronica glanced around the room, carefully avoiding his eyes.

And yet, part of her couldn't help enjoying the feel of his arms around her, solid and warm, and his familiar, distinctive scent. Her hands inadvertently grazed his hair as they spun around slowly, the strands baby soft against her fingers. Desperate for a distraction, Veronica spoke.

"This seems extravagant, even for you," she noted, finally meeting his eyes.

Logan stared back at her, shaken out of his own contemplations about her proximity. "I actually have very simple tastes," he recovered smoothly.

"Oh really?" she returned sarcastically.

"Yes," he insisted. "I enjoy the classics. Like a simple black dress, for example." His eyes dropped down to her outfit, and then back up. "This?" he asked, lifting his right hand off her waist to gesture around. "This is all Trina."

"Not sure I believe that," she replied.

"Why do you always assume I'm lying to you?" Logan asked.

"Aren't you?" she joked.

"Never."

His expression was serious, his eyes intent, but Veronica merely laughed. Unconsciously relaxing into him, she began her interrogation. "So, will your sister be joining you this summer?"

"No," he replied firmly.

"Don't want to subject her to the likes of us, huh?" she teased. "Seems a bit barbaric, dictating her life like that."

"Well, I am part Hun," he explained.

"And you're worried we'll corrupt her with our wanton SoCal ways, Attila?"

Logan smiled at her joke before replying. "No. I just know from past experience that she's still a little too young for this kind of thing."

Veronica eyed him curiously, wondering if he was referring to her behavior the previous summer. She bit her lower lip, to prevent herself from asking. "She's only a year younger than Lilly and Gia, though, right?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "She's fourteen."

"So are you saying they shouldn't be here either?" she asked.

Logan looked away from her, towards where he'd last spotted the twins. Lilly was still there, her body pressed close to Chip's as she downed a glass of champagne. He turned back to Veronica. "Do _you_ think they should?" he countered.

Feeling a bit defensive, Veronica stopped moving and stared back at him. Logan followed suit, looking down at her curiously. "Hey, _you_ were the one who invited them," she pointed out.

"I didn't have anything to do with the invitations," he corrected her.

"I see," she replied. "That actually makes a lot more sense."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she replied. They began to dance again, but the silence stretched on. After a moment, Veronica decided that she didn't want to let the subject drop. "I couldn't help noticing that everyone from the movie is here," she remarked. "With one notable exception."

"If you're talking about _Troy_," Logan returned distastefully, "he was invited. I have no idea why he didn't show."

"Perhaps he didn't feel welcome?" she suggested innocently.

"All of our guests are welcome here," he replied coldly. "Whether I personally enjoy their company or not."

They had stopped dancing again, yet their arms remained wrapped around one another. Logan's muscles were tense and his jaw was set firmly. As Veronica looked into his darkened eyes, she knew she'd hit a nerve.

Affecting an easy smile, she tilted her head to one side. "Wait, you mean there are people whose company you actually _do_ enjoy?" she teased. "Because if there are, I'm dying to meet them."

He nodded without speaking, and their feet began to move again. Uncomfortable with the sudden strain, Veronica once again spoke before thinking. "Do you realize you have, like, forty-seven different personalities?" she demanded.

Logan eyed her with amusement. He adored her when she was like this, blue eyes full of passion and fixated on his in a silent challenge. All thoughts of Troy were gone, now, his attention entirely back on her. "Most people find me very even-tempered," he informed her.

"Right," she replied dryly. "Is this before or after you hand them their paycheck?"

"Before," he assured her. "I happen to be a fantastic boss."

"Of course you are. You excel at everything you do, don't you?"

"Most things," he agreed. "There are reasons why I'm a nine."

Veronica rolled her eyes at that old joke, but she was determined to stay on track. "But surely there are people out there who don't find you as brilliant as you find yourself?"

"Possibly," Logan shrugged. "But I don't bother associating with any of them."

"Naturally."

"And what about you, Veronica?" he countered. "Does everyone you meet find _you_ irresistible?"

"Hardly," she laughed.

"I'm not so sure about that," he replied, his eyes straying towards Casey. "If rumors are to be believed, you have more than your fair share of admirers yourself."

Veronica felt a blush coloring her cheeks and looked away. She wasn't sure if he was referring to Casey, Dick, or Troy, but she certainly didn't wish to discuss her love life with _him_. "And do you always take rumors for fact?" she questioned.

Logan glanced down at her. "Do you?"

"No," she conceded. "But I have found that rumors are usually_ based_ in fact." With only a slight hesitation, she continued. "I've heard several rumors about _you_, for example, that have left me with a great deal to think about."

Extremely curious what she'd heard about him, Logan nevertheless kept his expression composed. "Well if the rumors are positive, then I assure you they're all true," he smirked.

"And if they're negative, they're false?"

"Obviously."

Veronica unconsciously furrowed her brow. "And yet you admitted to me, once, that you _do_ have flaws. A bad temper, and an unwillingness to forgive, if I remember correctly."

"True."

"So isn't it possible that you've made some enemies, along the way?"

Logan studied her carefully, certain now that she was referring to something specific. Abandoning pretense, he asked, "What did you hear about me, Veronica?"

Veronica's mouth opened slightly as she regarded him, taken aback by his direct inquiry. A large part of her wanted to simply _tell_ him what Troy had said. She was convinced she'd be able to read the truth in his reaction, especially if she took him off guard.

But the subject matter was extremely personal; she was sure Logan wouldn't appreciate her bringing it up in a crowd full of people. And, if the rumors were true, he would likely feel threatened by her knowledge of his actions. _The last thing I should be doing is pissing off the guy who has Uncle Sammy's future in his hands._

"Oh, nothing in particular," she replied vaguely. "Just descriptions of your personality that seem to vary quite a bit. I'm trying to decide which version of you is the most accurate."

"And what have you decided?" he questioned.

"The jury's still out."

Unhappy with that response, Logan turned his head to hide his disappointment. His eyes roamed the dance floor disinterestedly, his thoughts still firmly on his dance partner. But when he spotted Duncan and Meg in a darkened corner, his attention was diverted.

The couple had their arms wrapped around one another as they turned slowly to the music, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the crowd. Meg's head rested on Duncan's chest, her eyes closed, while Duncan's hand stroked the back of her head. He said something that caused her to look up, and they kissed. Logan frowned, thinking hard as he watched them together.

It was a bit alarming how much their relationship had progressed, simply in the two weeks since they'd arrived back in Neptune. Duncan had been distracted at work, more interested in texting Meg than learning about the business. Logan had tried to convince himself that it was nothing more than a summer fling. _But it's not_, he realized. _He's serious about her. Too serious._

The song ended, and Logan's attention travelled back to Veronica. Her hands dropped down from his neck. Reluctantly, he removed his own hands from her waist. He didn't want to leave her. "So do you want to go get a drink, or-"

"Ronnie-licious!" Dick swept across the dance floor like a summer storm, utterly unconcerned with who or what he encountered along the way. Mac trailed along in the wide path left in his wake, throwing apologetic looks towards those he'd sloshed with his drink.

Eyes glassy and cheeks pink, Dick was in rare form tonight. From the moment he'd spotted Veronica, earlier that evening, he'd been pestering her for a dance. She'd managed to put him off, even going so far as to beg Mac to keep him away from her. _But I knew he wouldn't stay away forever. _

"You ready to shake your booty, hot mama?" he asked. Without waiting for a reply, Dick began to dance.

Veronica sighed, realizing she'd have to join him. Stepping forward, she took his drink from his hand and passed it to Mac, who nodded in understanding and walked off the dance floor.

The band was playing another fast song, and it had gotten too loud to speak. She flashed a rueful look in Logan's direction, meant as a silent apology for their interruption. But to her surprise, he was already gone.

**xxXxx**

Thoroughly aggravated at having been usurped by the likes of Dick Casablancas, Logan headed back towards his table in a foul mood. Finding his empty glass undisturbed, he helped himself to more champagne and took a seat facing the dance floor.

Dick's blond head was easy to spot, in the crowd, but Veronica was hidden by other dancing bodies. Logan's eyes found Meg and Duncan, still in their same secluded corner and grinning at one another like fools. He looked down at his champagne distastefully, the lively bubbles seeming to mock him. Logan stood up, deciding to abandon his champagne for a whiskey.

He'd almost reached the bar when he was intercepted by Madison, who stumbled and fell into his arms. He placed a steadying hand on her waist while she recovered her balance. As soon as she straightened her posture, he dropped his hand back to his side.

"Oops," she giggled.

"You okay?" Logan asked.

Madison's smile faded, and she shook her head no. "You're not behaving," she scolded him, slurring slightly. "You're not doing what you're supposed to."

Logan laughed lightly, despite the warning in his gut at her words. "Actually," he corrected. "I think _you're_ misbehaving more than I am." He pointed towards her champagne flute. "How many of those have you had?"

Madison ignored his question, opting to ask her own. "Is something going on with you and Veronica Mars?" she demanded.

Logan stared back at her without answering, surprised she was asking so directly. "What makes you think that?" he finally replied.

Madison struggled to find a way to respond that wouldn't make her look like she'd been obsessing over him. "I saw you dancing with her before. A girl's got to wonder."

"Just being a good host," he said dismissively.

"Well then why don't _we_ dance?" she proposed, the smile returning to her lips.

Madison grabbed his hand, pulling herself nearer to him, and Logan tensed at the contact. "Seriously, how much have you had to drink?" he inquired.

"Oh, I don't know," she replied. "A little bit."

Logan pulled his hand gently from her grasp and placed it on her shoulder. "Maybe you should switch to water, for a little while," he suggested.

"Why Logan, are you _worried_ about me?" Madison teased.

"I'm worried about what your dad will do to me if he finds out his little princess got wasted," he corrected. "In public, no less."

Growing bored of the conversation, Logan's eyes strayed back to the dance floor. From this vantage point, he now had a clear view of Veronica. She was still paired with Dick, who was barely managing to keep the balance required for dancing. Veronica, quite obviously annoyed, winced as he stepped on her foot.

Madison scowled. Determined to regain his attention, she took a step closer to him, placing her hand on his forearm. "We're not in public," she reminded him pointedly. "We're in our _house_. Our bedrooms are right upstairs."

Logan looked down at her sharply, his focus now completely on her. "Madison…"

"Yes, Logan?" She reached her hand up to touch his face. But Logan took her hand, preventing her from reaching her goal. He kept tight hold of her hand, unwittingly giving her the motivation needed to continue. Madison tilted her head back, whispering in his ear. "If you're worried about Duncan, he won't find out. He's so into Meg right now, he'd never notice."

"It's not Duncan," he replied firmly.

"Well then what's stopping you?" she asked softly. Madison placed her free hand on his chest, running her palm down to his abdomen suggestively.

Momentarily stunned into silence, Logan stared at her with his mouth agape.

"Don't you know how much I want you?" she breathed into his ear. Her hand slipped lower, and she kissed him.

For a solitary second, Logan returned her kiss, his mind still full of Veronica. But then his reason returned in a rush, and he pulled away abruptly. Frowning, Madison attempted to kiss him again. Logan placed both of his hands stiffly on her shoulders, physically preventing her from reaching him.

"I'm sorry to have to say this to you," he said, looking her directly in the eye. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings. But I'm not interested in you like that. Okay?"

Madison blinked at him several times, before finally processing his words. Her face contorted in anger. She pushed both of his arms off of her shoulders with a single, violent gesture, and stepped backwards. "No, it's not _okay_," she spat.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, unsure what else to say.

Madison glared at him for several seconds before hurrying away. Logan stared after her for a moment, before continuing on his path to the bar. _Okay, now I _really_ need a drink._

Unbeknownst to him, Veronica and Duncan had both witnessed what had just transpired between him and Madison. And neither one of them appeared pleased.

**xxXxx**

Logan had just taken his first sip of whiskey when he felt a heavy arm descend upon his shoulders. The force of the motion pushed him forward slightly, causing him to spill his drink on his own hand.

Anticipating Conner as the culprit, a biting insult was already prepared on Logan's tongue. But when he turned his head to find the blond surfer Veronica had just been dancing with, instead, he managed to check himself.

"Hey, man, what's up?" Dick greeted him with a large grin. "You people know how to throw a par-_tay_."

"_Do _we?" Logan questioned sarcastically, removing Dick's arm from his shoulders. "It seems to me we need to re-examine our guest list, in the future."

"Nah, man, there's _totally_ enough hotties here to go around," Dick insisted. He nodded at the bartender for a beer, helping himself to the seat next to Logan. "Turns out you and me kick it with the same people."

"What?" Logan asked distractedly. It had just occurred to him that if Dick was here with him, Veronica was elsewhere. His eyes skimmed the dance floor, curious if she had another partner.

"Kendall!" Dick shouted in his ear, making sure he heard him this time. "She's my agent."

Logan turned his head back towards Dick slowly, not at all managing to mask his irritation. "So?"

"So I hear you, like, _know_ her," Dick explained, employing air quotes around the verb and raising both eyebrows.

Logan stared at him, in complete disbelief at his utter lack of discretion and self-awareness. "Dude, who the hell _are_ you?" he demanded.

"Dick."

"Ex_cuse_ me?" Logan asked.

"That's me. I'm Dick."

"_Dick_," Logan repeated pointedly. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"And Veronica."

"_What_ about Veronica?" he asked impatiently.

"You two are friends, or whatever," Dick said. "Right?"

It was a simple enough question, but Logan wasn't sure how to answer it. After a moment, he shrugged. "I guess."

The bartender handed Dick his beer. He took several very long swigs, until his eyes burned from the carbonation and the beer was half gone. He burped loudly and turned back to Logan. "She's my girl," Dick informed him. "Remember that."

"How lucky for her," Logan smirked. He picked up his whiskey off the bar and stood, walking away without another word.

**xxXxx**

Logan happily would have gone the rest of the evening without another interaction with the inebriated surfer, but luck was not on his side. He'd just finished making a wide sweep of the ballroom when he spotted Dick's shaggy blond head on the edge of the dance floor, bobbing from side to side as he tried to engage Veronica in another dance.

After taking one look at the expression on her face, Logan changed his course to intercept them. He watched as Dick grabbed both of Veronica's hands and lifted them up in the air, attempting to get her to move. But Veronica's feet remained stubbornly fixed to the ground.

"I like to see you boogie," he sang off-key. "Right across the dance floor."

"Dick," Veronica protested. She attempted to pull her hands out of his grasp, but he held on tightly.

"I like to do it to you, 'til you holla for more," he continued, undeterred. Dick thrust his hips towards her in a lewd gesture. Deciding she'd had enough, Veronica readied her knee for contact.

"Ready for our re-match?"

Veronica glanced up, startled to see Logan standing right beside her. Distracted by the interruption, Dick released her hands. She took a step back, shooting an exasperated look at him. _Dick has no idea how close he just came to entering a world of pain._

She turned her attention to Logan. "What re-match?"

"Pool. We've got a table set up right down the hall." Seeing her vacillate, he added nonchalantly, "Unless you're too scared…?"

"Hardly," she replied. "Let's go."

"What the hell?" Dick protested. "You're just gonna leave me hanging?"

"Sorry, Dick," Veronica shrugged. "You're going to have to find another reggae woman to boogie on." Spotting Madison on the other side of the room, a slow smile spread across Veronica's face. "How about her?" she suggested innocently, nodding towards the blonde. "I bet she'd _love_ to dance with you."

Dick turned his head towards Madison. Not waiting to see if he took her advice, Veronica followed Logan across the dance floor and out of the room. A pair of green eyes watched them as they left, narrowing to an angry glower as they disappeared from view.

**xxXxx**

Logan led Veronica down a long hallway, the noise of the crowd diminishing with each step they took. Finally, he opened the last door on the left, and they went inside.

When he closed the door, the sounds of the party disappeared entirely. Veronica was reminded of the last time they were alone together, in the gym on the yacht. _Right before I heard what he _really _thought about me_, she recalled. _So why, exactly, am I alone with this person again? _To distract herself from exploring that train of thought, Veronica looked around the room.

Aside from the full-sized pool table in the center, the space also contained two arcade games, a dartboard, a mini-golf area and a foosball table. The far end of the room hosted a bar, complete with cushioned bar stools and several fully stocked shelves of liquor. Four enormous flat screen TV's were perched on the wall behind the bar.

"I see you didn't waste any time decorating _this_ room," she remarked.

"Naturally," Logan replied. He finished racking the balls and walked to the far side of the table, glancing up at her with a grin. "It's the most important room in the house."

She rolled her eyes and walked over to the wall, choosing a pool cue and chalking the tip. Logan broke the rack head-on, sinking the one and the three. He set up a shot on the seven, tapping the ball quickly into the side pocket. "So what's up with you and the blond?" he questioned.

"Who, Meg?" Veronica asked. "She's my sister. I thought you knew that, by now."

"Very funny," he returned, lining up the two ball. "I'm talking about that guy, Dick."

She shrugged. "We're just friends."

"He seems to think otherwise," Logan noted. He hit the ball into the corner pocket and paused to survey the table.

"Well he can think whatever he wants," Veronica replied. "I'm not interested in him like that."

Not quite satisfied with that response, Logan glanced over at her. She was toying with one of the handles on the foosball table, spinning it around and around. Forgetting the task at hand, he paused to watch her. He wanted very much to ask her about Casey- even more so, about Troy- yet he didn't want to appear overly interested in her love life.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided that he had to know. "You seemed very interested in Troy's absence, earlier," he remarked.

Veronica turned back towards him. Logan was leaning casually against the side of the pool table in his tuxedo, cue held loosely in his right hand; the picture of elegance. _Like he's doing a shoot for GQ_, she thought wryly. _Lounging around the house in a tux, playing a game of pool_.

"Just disappointed he's not here," she replied aloud. "I've found Troy to be very entertaining company."

"Entertaining," Logan repeated distastefully. "That's one word for it." Remembering himself, he stood up straight and turned back towards the table. He had a clear shot on the four ball, but he was struggling to concentrate. "Is that why you got all dolled up tonight?" he asked. "For _him_?"

He took his shot, missing entirely and nearly putting a hole through the felt. Witnessing his failure, Veronica walked forward calmly and began to gauge her options. "Was there an actual _compliment_ in there, somewhere?" she questioned. She leaned over, lining up a shot on the eleven ball and sinking it easily.

"Maybe," Logan acknowledged with an ironic smile. "But don't let it go to your head."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Veronica sunk the nine ball, then the twelve, and made her way to the other side of the table. With Logan directly across from her, she leaned down low to take her shot on the fourteen. She knew he was getting an eyeful, but she didn't care.

_Score one for the lowly "daughter of the town drunk", _she thought spitefully, hitting the fourteen ball into the side pocket. Veronica lifted her eyes up to his, raising her body up more slowly. Logan's eyes remained on her face, but she could tell it was taking quite a bit of effort on his part.

Pushing his buttons was as enjoyable as ever, she had to admit. In that vein, she decided that she was tired of being interrogated by Logan. _His turn._

"So what's up with you and the blonde?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, reversing his own question back on him.

For several seconds, Logan thought she was referring to herself. _I don't even know how to _begin _to answer that question._ He gazed back at her, stupefied.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Are there really _that_ many blondes?" she asked. "I'm talking about Madison. I saw you two, earlier."

"Oh." Logan scratched at the back of his neck, discomfited at the thought of Veronica witnessing that scene. He shrugged. "It was nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing from where _I_ was standing," she goaded.

Logan sighed. "She's got a thing for me, and I don't have a thing for her," he explained. "The end."

Veronica knew there was more to the story, and she was tempted to push. But he looked so uncomfortable that she decided to take pity on him and change the subject. _Although I'm pretty sure he won't like _this_ topic either._

Pretending to search the table for an available shot, she posed her next question. "So, what's it like being puppet master?" she questioned innocently.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You know, producing my uncle's movie," she clarified, glancing up to check his reaction. "Pulling all of the strings?"

Logan frowned. "How did you find out about that?"

"Small town, remember? Word gets around."

"Right," he replied dryly. "How could I forget?"

"You must be loving it," she continued. "Getting to be everyone's boss, telling them all what to do…"

Logan shook his head. Once again, she'd pegged him wrong. _But I can hardly admit that I took on the role of producer to try and help her family out._ Proud as Veronica was, she'd be furious at his interference. _And I have no earthly explanation for why I even _care_ about what happens to them._

"It's not about getting to boss people around," he tried to explain. "It's about being able to see something develop. You know, watching it go from a concept on the page to an actuality on the screen. And actually getting to play a part in all of it."

Veronica nodded, grudgingly impressed by his response. "So you don't care that you're disappointing the movie-going audience by not becoming an actor, like your parents?"

"No," he replied honestly. "I don't care. Acting's not my thing."

"But I'm sure people have tried, over the years," she pressed.

"They've tried," he admitted. "But I prefer being behind the scenes."

Thinking he was done, and recognizing that the subject of his parents was painful, Veronica merely nodded. She had re-focused her attention on their game, deciding to attempt a tricky shot on the ten, when she noticed Logan walking towards her.

She stood up straight as he came to a stop right next to her. Logan leaned his body against the table, turning slightly to face her.

"I don't really want people recognizing me, when I go out," he continued. "Strangers knowing about my personal life, gossiping about me." Logan shrugged, his brow furrowing. "When I was a kid, there was a constant swarm of reporters outside our house in L.A. I hated that. I like to be anonymous."

Veronica regarded him thoughtfully, game forgotten. He'd mentioned this to her once before, that he valued his privacy. _And he seems like he's being genuine_, she acknowledged. His brown eyes were unguarded at the moment, shifting rapidly from side to side as he gazed back at her. Suddenly, Veronica became very aware of just how close they were standing to one another.

"But you could never be anonymous," she said softly. "Everyone knows who you are."

_And I know what you've done, _she reminded herself. _Or do I?_ As Veronica continued to look into Logan's eyes, she was consumed with doubt. _I need to ask him about what Troy said. I need to know who he _really_ is, once and for all._

As though he could read her mind, Logan shook his head. "No," he corrected her. "No one knows who I _really_ am. They just think they do. Only-" He stopped abruptly.

She waited for him to continue, but he didn't. Veronica squared her shoulders and faced him fully, determined to get some resolution. "Logan, there's something I want to ask you."

Logan nodded, unsurprised. She'd had something on her mind all night; he could tell. "Go ahead," he urged.

Veronica took a deep breath, unsure how to begin. But before she had a chance to figure it out, the door swung open and Duncan appeared before them.

Startled at finding Logan and Veronica in such intimate proximity, Duncan hesitated before speaking. He'd obviously interrupted them. Yet, whether he'd interrupted them talking or doing something _else_, he couldn't be sure. He cleared his throat. "Uh, Logan, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Logan clenched his jaw, just barely keeping his annoyance in check. "We're in the middle of a game."

"It's important," Duncan insisted. "And it can't wait."

Logan knew that look of his well, and he had a feeling he knew why it was being directed at him. "Fine," he consented.

He walked over to the wall, taking half a minute to compose himself as he replaced his pool cue. _What was she about to say?_ He sighed silently before turning back to face her with a wry smile. "Looks like I've got to forfeit again. But I still want a rematch."

"We may never get the chance," Veronica pointed out. "So you'll just have to admit that _I'm_ the better player and move on with your life."

He stared at her, unable to smile at her joke. It had never occurred to him that he may not see her for the rest of the summer. In fact, he'd been expecting to see quite a bit of her. _But when would we, really? We have no plans to spend time together._ _And my days will be spent at the plant with Duncan…_

"That's never going to happen," he said aloud. "But nice try."

Logan managed a smirk and walked towards the door, following Duncan out into the hallway.

**xxXxx**

Duncan led Logan down the hall and out the back door of the house, searching for some privacy. But as they stepped onto the patio, they were both alerted to the sound of someone vomiting. Duncan spotted Meg's sister Mandy, throwing up in the bushes.

"Classy," Logan remarked. "I told you not to move here, man. This is why."

"Oh, because people never get sick in New York?" Duncan returned sarcastically.

"No. Because they have the good manners to do it in the bathroom."

Duncan rolled his eyes. Spotting Gia, sitting on the edge of the fountain with one of the surfers from the movie, he began walking towards her. After a loud sigh, Logan followed him.

"Hey, Gia," Duncan greeted her. "Um, your sister is getting sick. Maybe you should go check on her?"

Gia glanced in the direction Duncan was pointing to, wondering which sister was making a fool of herself. Seeing Mandy, she merely giggled. Lilly had dared her to drink three glasses of champagne, and it looked like Mandy had taken the bait. _She's such a lightweight._ "She's fine," Gia told him, turning back to Sean.

"She's killing our azaleas," Logan stated. "Go help her."

Gia sighed heavily and stood up, shooting a nasty look at Logan before walking over to Mandy. Sean rolled his eyes, but followed her.

"Let's go upstairs," Logan suggested. "Before that smell makes _me_ sick."

"Agreed."

When they stepped into Logan's room, several minutes later, they quickly discovered that they had company. Lilly and Chip were in Logan's bed, making out furiously.

"Excuse me," Logan protested.

"It's okay, man," Chip said, without looking up. "Just shut the door on your way out."

"Um, no," Logan corrected. "This happens to be my room, _man_. Kindly find somewhere else to do your face sucking."

Lilly finally looked up. Spotting Logan and Duncan, she sighed and pushed Chip off of her. She stood up, placing her dress straps back over her shoulders and sliding her feet into her shoes. Then she took Chip's hand and pulled him off the bed and towards the door.

"Sorry, dude," Chip said on his way out. "She dragged me in here, I thought it was cool."

Duncan shut the door when they left, while Logan eyed his bed distastefully. Seeing his expression, Duncan nodded. "We should probably let Meg and Veronica know about that."

"Actually, I'm more concerned about my bed having herpes."

"They were just kissing," Duncan remarked. "Relax."

Logan took a seat gingerly on the edge of his bed, looking up at Duncan resignedly. "Alright. Lecture away. I'm ready."

"Then you know what I saw?" Duncan asked.

"You saw your little sister proposing some rather improper things to me," Logan replied. "And me turning her down."

Duncan frowned. "That's not what it looked like to me."

"C'mon, dude, have I _ever_ shown any interest in her?" Logan asked.

"No, not really. But-"

"But nothing. She kissed me for like two seconds, and I stopped her," Logan explained. "I told her I didn't feel that way about her."

Duncan frowned. "She looked really upset."

"Yeah, well no one likes to get rejected. Least of all Madison Kane. It's probably never happened to her before."

"Did you at least let her down easy?"

"As easy as I could, while still getting my point across," Logan replied. "She's not happy, but she's going to have to find a way to deal with it." He looked down, toying with the button on his shirt for a minute. "Listen, I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything to your old man. I don't want him to get the wrong idea."

Duncan nodded. "Alright," he agreed. "As long as you two work it out before we get back to New York."

"Thanks." Logan stood up and walked towards the door. "So, we done?"

"Yeah."

The two young men stepped out into the hallway and began to make their way towards the staircase. "Now that you're done interrogating me," Logan began, "do you want to tell me what the deal is with you and Meg?"

Duncan paused at the top of the stairs, turning to face him slowly. "That depends," he replied. "Are you gonna give me shit about it?"

"Do I need to?" Logan countered.

"You might think so."

Logan crossed his arms, eyeing his friend suspiciously. "Dude, if you got her pregnant-"

Duncan waved him silent, looking around to make sure no one was around. "Are you nuts?" he asked in a lowered voice. "We haven't even done that yet."

"Then _you're_ the one who's nuts," Logan laughed, clapping his friend on the back. He started down the steps, and Duncan followed him. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Duncan grabbed his arm to get his attention.

Logan, who had just spotted Veronica exiting the ballroom, looked at Duncan impatiently. "I was kidding," he said preemptively.

"No, I just… Meg's different, okay?" Duncan's blue eyes were thoughtful. "Like, I think about her constantly. I just want to be with her all of the time. I don't even care what we do, or what we talk about, as long as she's there. Have you ever felt like that with anyone?"

Logan's eyes followed Veronica's movement across the foyer, as he listened to Duncan speak. "No," he lied.

"Me either, before now. And-" Duncan laughed and shook his head. "This sounds so insane, but I can picture, like, _being_ with her. For years. Marriage, kids, the whole nine yards…"

Logan felt a pang of jealousy at hearing Duncan's words. He'd never given marriage too much thought. It was something that would happen many, many years down the road, if at all.

No sooner did that thought cross his mind than did an image appear in his mind: Veronica in a simple white dress, holding a bouquet of orchids and smiling up at him in the sunlight.

The picture was gone in a flash. Logan stared at Veronica's disappearing figure in shock, as she slipped out the back door. Truly alarmed, he turned to face Duncan. "Are you kidding me?" he asked, his voice harsher than he'd intended. "You barely even _know_ her."

Duncan frowned. "I do know her," he insisted. "_You're_ the one who hasn't bothered to take the time." He shook his head. "Never mind. I knew you wouldn't get it."

"What, that you're suddenly in _love_?" Logan mocked. "With someone you've hung out with, like, five times?"

"What if I am?" Duncan demanded. "What if… what if I _do_ want to-"

"_Marry _her?" Logan finished incredulously. "Yeah, that'll be a fun conversation with your dad."

"I'm eighteen," Duncan said defiantly. "And so is she. Legally, I wouldn't have to tell my dad."

Logan blinked at him, shocked by what he was hearing. This situation was even more troubling than he'd realized. He'd warned Duncan about Meg early on; warned him that she might be trying to trap him. Yet it had been a long while since he'd seriously considered that notion. The girl had seemed far too genuine.

_But maybe that's her game_, Logan mused. _Maybe she smiles sweetly at us all, to make us overlook what she's truly after. So what, exactly, has she been whispering in his ear? _He'd never seen Duncan like this before; threatening to defy his parents, talking about sneaking around behind their backs._ Could all of this be Meg's doing?_

Logan took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. The last thing he needed was for Duncan to run off and do something crazy, just to spite him. "Yeah, man, you're _eighteen_," he stressed. "People don't get married at eighteen anymore. This isn't nineteen twelve."

Duncan opened his mouth to protest, but Logan held up his hand. "Look, I get it. You like her. All I'm asking is that you don't do anything stupid. Or permanent."

After a brief hesitation, Duncan nodded. "Okay," he agreed.

"And that includes tattoos," Logan added with a grin, elbowing Duncan in the side.

His attempt to lighten the mood worked. Duncan's posture relaxed, and he smiled. "So I _shouldn't_ get our initials tattooed on my check?" he joked.

"No cheek tattoos and no tramp stamps," Logan instructed. "Do we need to pinky swear?"

Duncan pushed him playfully, and they both laughed. Logan was relieved that he'd managed to get his friend thinking more clearly, for the time being; but he wasn't about to let his guard down for a second. _I'll be keeping a _very_ close eye on Meg Mars from here on out. Someone has to, and it obviously isn't going to be Duncan._

"C'mon," Duncan offered, nodding towards the ballroom. "Let's get back in there."

Logan was about to agree when he noticed Conner, glancing around surreptitiously before exiting out the back door. He stared after him darkly, certain his destination wasn't a coincidence.

His mind travelled to the last night on the yacht, when he'd walked in on Conner and Veronica alone in the salon. He'd never gotten a satisfactory explanation about that_. From either one of them._

"Uh, yeah, I'll be there in a minute," Logan replied.

He waited until Duncan had entered the ballroom and disappeared from view; and then he walked through the back door and stepped outside.

**xxXxx**

The night air was cool relief against Veronica's skin. The ballroom had turned hot and stuffy from the motion of a hundred dancers, and the noise level had grown unbearable. She'd had to get out of there.

She paused briefly against the fountain to remove her heels, taking a moment to massage her sore feet. Then she continued barefoot down the grey stone path, towards what appeared to be a garden.

Veronica couldn't see much in the darkness, but she enjoyed the peace and solitude nonetheless. After several minutes of exploring, she took a seat on a stone bench. In daylight, she would have been treated to the sight of a stunning circlet of purple dahlias. By moonlight, her view was much more subdued. She didn't mind.

She heard the footsteps on the path just before she saw the figure approach, and she stood up immediately. She felt certain it was Logan; yet quite a bit_ less_ certain how she felt about being near him, again. _Alone._

"Veronica?"

It wasn't Logan. She squinted into the darkness, not recognizing the voice. She shivered in the cool air, wrapping her arms around herself as the person came nearer. Finally, she recognized who it was.

"Conner," she stated flatly. He was next to her before she had time to make her escape. Veronica thought fast. "I'm just heading back to the party. I-"

"Aw, c'mon, what's the rush?" he interrupted. As he came closer, Veronica could smell the alcohol on his breath, sharp and pungent. Conner towered over her, a black shadow against the night sky. She felt his hand on her bare shoulder, and her whole body tensed.

"I'm not feeling well," Veronica replied tersely.

Conner's fingers ran down her arm, very slowly. "Well _I_ can fix that."

Veronica pulled her arm out of his reach, scratching hard at the skin he'd just touched. She took a step back, glancing around for something she could use in a pinch. A stick or a rock. But it was too dark; she couldn't see anything.

_Well if it's not fight, it'll have to be flight_, she decided quickly. _And the only way I'm getting out of dodge is if I outsmart him. Shouldn't be too hard, with this one._

Conner regarded her with arms crossed, finally growing suspicious at her lack of interest. "What's the problem? I thought you were into me."

"You're married," Veronica deflected. She needed to tread a careful line, here, between appearing to play along and actually saying she was interested. This was the second time he'd sought her out, both times cornering her in an isolated location. _And I have a feeling he doesn't handle rejection well._

Conner laughed. "You don't have to worry about Trina. She's all wrapped up in her big party."

"You're not worried that someone would see us?" she questioned. "I mean… it's a little exposed here, don't you think?"

"Trust me," he insisted. "I know what I'm doing."

"So you've done this before?" Veronica asked. She had no interest in hearing about Conner's many conquests. She was stalling; trying to figure out how she could convince him to go back to the house.

"What do _you_ think?" he asked. Conner took a step closer to her. "Just so you know, I don't care what everyone else says about you. I think you're great. And you're looking _hot_ tonight."

Momentarily distracted from her precarious situation, Veronica frowned up at Conner. "What do people say about me?" she asked.

"I told you, it doesn't bother me," he assured her. "I like a girl who's got a few notches on her belt. It makes her more adventurous." He wrapped his hand around her forearm, attempting to pull her towards the path. "There's a gazebo, not too far from here. C'mon, I'll show you."

Veronica resisted, and Conner frowned. She needed to get out of here, and _fast_. "Conner, it's freezing," she protested, attempting lightheartedness. "Why don't we go back to the house, instead?"

"Aww, don't worry baby. I'll keep you warm…" he promised.

"Conner? Hey, man, is that you?"

Logan walked closer, until he could just make out Conner and Veronica's features in the darkness. Conner had moved away from her as soon as he'd spoken, but it didn't matter. Logan had seen and heard everything.

"Trina sent me to find you," he lied smoothly. "The fireworks are about to start."

"Wouldn't want to miss that, would we?" Conner joked. "I'd never hear the end of it."

_He's a better actor than people give him credit for_, Logan grudgingly admitted to himself. He glanced down at Veronica. Her arms were crossed tightly around herself; she was looking down, her hair covering her face.

Without a word, he took his tuxedo jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. She looked up at him thankfully, but said nothing.

Logan wished he could see her expression, in the darkness. He couldn't help wondering if he should have let the scene play out further, between them, so he could have been certain one way or another about her feelings for Conner. Her words had conveyed interest in the actor, but her body language had said differently. _Either way, I couldn't watch that anymore._

They walked back to the house in complete silence. Veronica pulled Logan's jacket closed, shivering slightly. She'd never know, for sure, what would have happened if Logan hadn't shown up when he did. _It could have been fine_, she acknowledged. _Conner could have just shrugged it off and gone looking for a more willing participant. _Yet, somehow, she didn't think so.

This was the second time, now, that Logan had rescued her from Conner, and she was grateful. She supposed she had Trina to partially thank for it this time, too, for sending him out there in the first place. _Of course, if she'd even had an _inkling_ of what her husband had been up to, she'd have come out here herself. And she would have been furious._

Veronica recalled Conner's words about her; his implication that she was a big slut and that everyone knew it. _The question is, who's "everyone"? _she wondered._ I know Madison and Trina feel that way about me; I've heard them say it myself. But does Duncan? Does Logan? _

She frowned, considering the evening from a different perspective._ Was the dance, the game of pool, all just an attempt to try and get in my pants because he heard I was easy?_ She glanced up at him, more bothered by the notion than she should have been. Logan was looking straight ahead, his eyes facing forward.

When the house came into view, she and Logan lagged behind, each of them deep in thought. Yet Conner increased his pace. He doubted Logan was stupid enough to mention his whereabouts to Trina, but he needed to establish an alibi just in case.

Conner knew he'd be stuck playing the role of perfect husband for the rest of the night, to allay any suspicions his wife might have. He sighed and headed towards the house, with one last, lustful look at Veronica before he left.

She watched him go with a silent exhale of relief. She and Logan paused at the fountain, turning towards one another. Veronica could see his face, now, in the soft light emanating from the lanterns that lined the perimeter of the garden. But his expression was unreadable.

"I guess old crushes die hard, huh?" he asked, nodding towards Conner's departing figure.

Veronica regarded Logan with dawning realization. _Just how much did he hear, back there? Does he really think I was _into_ that?_ She knew she shouldn't care _what_ he thought. Yet she felt a strong desire to set the record straight.

"No," she began, shaking her head. "That's not-"

Her words were cut off by a loud booming sound. It was followed by another boom, and several pops. She looked up, eyes momentarily transfixed by the fireworks alighting the night sky. Their colored streaks glittered rapidly towards the ground, like water tumbling from a cliff.

Veronica glanced at Logan. His focus was not on the brilliant display above them, but on her. The reflected water in the fountain beside them glowed green, then red, then gold, as they continued to stare at one another.

And then Logan looked away, distracted by the sensation of his phone buzzing against his thigh. He pulled it from his pocket and glimpsed the display, thoroughly prepared to ignore the call. _Heather._ It was the first Fourth of July they'd spent apart, and he'd been awaiting her call all day.

Logan held the phone up to Veronica in explanation, and she nodded. He answered the call and began walking towards the house, to get away from the noise.

As soon as he walked through the door, Veronica pulled out her own phone and sent a text to Meg. It had been a very, very long night, and it was time to go home.

**xxXxx**

The next morning, Logan awoke to the sight of Madison leaning over him. He sat up quickly, eyeing her suspiciously. "What are you doing here?" he mumbled.

"There's something you need to see," Madison replied. She handed him her iPhone, taking a seat on the edge of his bed while she awaited his reaction.

Logan rubbed his eyes and squinted down at the screen. It was a gossip site, the kind he usually avoided like the plague. The title read, "Kane Software Heir Plans to Elope". Beneath it was a crisp color photo of Meg and Duncan, dancing at last night's party.

Fully awake, now, Logan skimmed the article quickly. _"Duncan Kane and the object of his affection, Megan Mars, are both eighteen years old… A source close to the girl says a wedding is imminent…Will Duncan's brother-in-law, Conner Larkin, step into the new role of best man? Or will it be his even more famous friend Logan Echolls, son of Lynn and Aaron Echolls? (See related article below.)"_

With a sick feeling in his stomach that had nothing to do with the after effects of champagne, Logan scrolled down. Beneath the article about Duncan, he found a second photo. This one was quite a bit fuzzier, but Logan knew exactly who was pictured. It was him and Veronica. They were standing next to the pool table, but from the angle shown they appeared to be kissing. _It must have been taken through the window…_

The article was entitled, "Logan Echolls Finds Love with Mystery Woman?". He began to read, growing more leery with each word. _"It's been a long time since we've caught a glimpse of the elusive Logan Echolls. Notoriously tight-lipped about his private life, Echolls has always opted to remain behind the camera. Until now! _Celebrity Hotspot _has exclusive information that Logan will likely take on a leading role in the film he's currently producing…"_

He skipped ahead. The rumors of him acting were annoying, but nothing new. _"…or does he have other reasons for sticking around the small town of Neptune, California? Our source says yes! "They met a couple of months ago. They've been attached at the hip ever since. I've never seen him like this with a girl, before. I think he's in love!" The identity of the blonde in the photo remains a mystery, but we won't let it stay that way for long…"_

Logan tossed Madison's phone onto the bed next to her and stood up, scanning the room for his phone. Spotting it on his desk, he walked over and picked it up. He chose the contact he needed quickly, and placed the phone up to his ear.

"Jake, it's Logan. Sorry to bother you, but we've got a situation here. It's Duncan."

Madison picked her phone up off the bed and stood up, maintaining her concerned expression until she exited the room. As soon as she shut Logan's door, she smiled in smug satisfaction, pausing for a moment to celebrate her victory. And then she headed to her room to start packing.

**A/N Thanks for reading, please review! :)**

**Also. I've got something up my sleeve in the way of a collaboration that should be really, really fun. I'm still looking for a few more authors to fill the roster. Keep an eye out on my Tumblr page (vmsteenbeans) for more info, if you're interested. I'll be posting something this summer. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Okay. So it's been a little while since I've updated this story. But this is a 53 page, 21,000 word chapter with like 30 different characters in it. I hope that helps make up for it.**

**Big thank you to everyone who's sticking with this story, and to all of you kind souls who have reviewed, favorited and followed through the years. I hope you all know by now, I can't do it without you. **

**I also want to say a special thank you to lilamadison11 and hanitjemars on tumblr, for the extraordinarily cool artwork they both made for this story. You guys seriously inspire me.**

**Hope you all enjoy!**

**P.S. The part of Mary Bennet, formerly played by Parker, is now being played by Mandy. All previous chapters have been edited.**

Chapter 12

"I wish you didn't have to go," Veronica lamented, glancing up at her favorite aunt. "You just got here."

Alicia placed a slender hand on her niece's shoulder and squeezed gently, before taking the empty seat beside her on the couch. She set down her cup of tea on the end table and turned to face Veronica. "I'd love to stay longer," she replied wistfully. "Twenty-four hours just isn't enough time. If I didn't have that show tonight…"

"No, I understand," Veronica assured her. "I know how hard it is for you to get away from the gallery. I'm just glad you were able to come at all." Her gaze strayed towards Meg, sitting quietly at the piano bench beside Mandy, and she sighed heavily. "I've never seen her like this before. Never."

Alicia frowned at the sight of her eldest niece, her own concern rivaling Veronica's. "Still no word from him?"

"Not a peep," Veronica confirmed. She picked up her tea cup and took a small sip, her thoughts travelling to that fateful day after the Kanes' party.

The Mars family had remained oblivious to the tabloid stories throughout the morning, all five girls sleeping in far later than usual. They'd shared a lively brunch with their parents, rife with gossip about the events of the previous evening. An anxious phone call from Mac, around noon, had finally made them privy to the surprising news; but none of them- least of all Meg- had been prepared for the consequences.

"What about his sisters?" Alicia pressed. "Hasn't she spoken to them since?"

"No," Veronica responded, unable to keep the disgust out of her voice. "Just that text from Madison, the day they left." _Boarding flight to NYC_, the message had read. _Sorry no time for goodbyes! Talk soon._

Alicia shook her head disapprovingly. "I thought they were supposed to be friends."

"Yeah," Veronica scoffed. "Meg thought so too."

"It's just so odd," Alicia mused, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "No apology, no explanation…" She refocused her attention on the niece beside her. "And has she tried to contact him?"

"Not this week," Veronica said flatly. "When he stopped answering her texts and phone calls… she got the hint." She set her teacup down a bit too harshly, and the saucer beneath rattled in protest.

Veronica took a deep breath, trying to get her emotions in check. Meg had gone from elation to confusion, from concern to dismay, all within the span of a few days. It had been a transformation heartbreaking to witness, made infinitely worse by the fact that Veronica had been powerless to stop it. _And that I didn't see it coming._

"And how is she handling the, um, stories?" Alicia asked, dropping her voice even lower.

"Not well," Veronica sighed. "I tell her not to read them, but…"

Alicia's brown eyes flashed in a rare display of anger. "Who would _do_ this, to her?" she demanded. "Do you have any idea?"

Veronica leaned her back against the couch, not replying immediately. Rumors of Duncan and Meg's pending elopement was undoubtedly what had driven the wealthy young man away, back towards the sanctuary of his home. Unable to excuse or condone Duncan's behavior towards her sister, Veronica had nevertheless understood that he was under a great deal of pressure from his family.

She'd been focusing the greater part of her anger, instead, upon the anonymous source who'd leaked the false information to the press in the first place. _The anonymous source who won't shut the hell up. _ Because the stories about Meg and Duncan had continued, despite his departure; and they showed no signs of stopping.

This merely added fuel to Veronica's fury. She was determined to find out who was responsible for her sisters public humiliation, and she'd vowed to make them pay. Veronica had been systematically analyzing the facts, over the past two weeks, in an attempt to discover the culprit.

The most obvious suspect was perhaps a fellow partygoer, trying to make an extra buck. But that wasn't a satisfactory explanation, when it came to her group of friends. Not only did the vast majority of them have healthy trust funds that took care of all of their worldly needs, but among her group this kind of behavior was considered tacky. Crude. There was an unspoken covenance, among the inhabitants of the 90909 zip code.

One of the dozens of people working the party was another possibility. But not only would the employees have been paid amply for their services, they all would have been required to sign confidentiality agreements. Violating that contract would have put any of them at serious financial risk, if they'd been discovered. _It hardly seems worth it_.

That line of reasoning had brought Veronica back to the people who had thrown the party. Duncan had been crossed off her list of suspects immediately, both for being the subject of one of the photos and because the focus of the story was certain to cause him personal problems within his family.

Logan, too, had been struck from her list quickly. Although it would have been a clever way for him to rid Duncan of an attachment she was fairly sure he'd never been pleased about, Logan would not have willingly allowed a fallacious story about himself to get placed on a gossip site. He valued his privacy far too much to play a hand in sacrificing it. _And it seems… beneath him, somehow._

This had effectively narrowed down her list to three suspects: Trina, Madison or Conner. And although all of them had their share of motivations, her gut told her it was Madison. She'd had the most to gain.

_Revenge against Logan, for turning her down that night. Revenge against _me_, for being a perceived threat. The perfect way to make my family look like the trash she always thought we were. And, most important of all, a ticket out of Neptune. _The articles that had come out since were Madison's insurance plan, guaranteeing that she got to stay put in Manhattan indefinitely.

_Oh yes, _Veronica answered her aunt silently. _I have a _very_ good idea who's behind it. But I don't have any proof. Yet._

Externally, she merely shrugged. "It could have been anyone," she finally replied, reaching for her teacup.

Alicia shook her head, her eyes settling once again upon Meg. "It'll take time, but she'll be okay. A change in scenery will be good for her."

"I hope so." Veronica set the teacup down without drinking from it and turned towards her aunt. "Listen, I really think I should go with you guys," she said, for the third time that day. "Meg needs me right now. And-"

"And what about your _own _plans?" Alicia countered. "Isn't your friend on his way to pick you up right now?"

"Yes, but-"

"We've been over this," Alicia said patiently. "Meg will be in good hands." Alicia raised an eyebrow. "Besides," she continued. "She isn't the _only_ one in this house who could use a little break."

Veronica barely heard her, too focused on concern for her sister. "But what if they run into each other, in New York?" she wondered aloud.

"Do you think that likely?" Alicia asked.

"No," Veronica admitted. "I don't think Duncan spends a lot of time in Brooklyn." _But Logan does_, she recalled, thinking of the shirt in her closet. _And the last thing I need is someone snapping another picture of the two of us. Maybe it's better if I stay on the west coast, after all._

Resigned to her fate, Veronica retrieved her teacup and went on. "Honestly? I'm not even sure it would be such a bad thing, if she _did_ see him. I mean, don't get me wrong, he has a hell of a lotof explaining to do. But if he actually laid eyes on her…" _Then maybe it would be enough to drown out the whispers in his ears._

"So it was more than just a crush?" Alicia asked gently. "He genuinely felt something for her?"

"_I_ thought so," Veronica returned softly. "I really did."

The retreat of the Kane family had been so abrupt that she hadn't fully processed her own feelings about their departure yet. Naturally, she was relieved to be rid of Trina, Madison and Conner. _Especially Conner. _In regards to Duncan, she felt a sense of personal betrayal. She'd thought him a good person, a genuine and honest man. A friend. _And as for Logan…_

Despite her words to him, that night, she hadn't truly thought it would be the last time she'd ever see him. Meg's relationship with Duncan had ensured that they'd be obliged to interact socially, from time to time. But with that relationship over, and with the Kanes' hasty exodus from Neptune, it seemed her last conversation with Logan had been interrupted permanently.

_And I'm sure he was only too eager to put some distance between us, once he read that article, _she acknowledged_. He wouldn't have wanted to risk the press discovering my identity. It doesn't matter that there wasn't an ounce of truth to that story. Knowing him, the very idea of being linked publicly to the "daughter of the town drunk" would bring eternal shame and humiliation._

Warm liquid sloshed onto her jean-clad leg, startling her. Veronica had been so deep in thought that she'd accidentally tipped over her cup of tea. "Damn it," she muttered, setting the cup down and wiping at her jeans.

Alicia began to stand up, but Veronica waved her back down. "I'm fine, it'll dry," she insisted.

Her aunt settled back into her seat, watching her niece carefully. "And what about the other subject the gossip sites have been obsessing over?" she inquired, keen eyes locked on Veronica's face.

"What do you mean?" Veronica asked distractedly, inspecting her jeans. The tea had run halfway down the leg of one thigh. It occurred to her that she should probably change her jeans, before she left.

"I mean that I'd know my nieces anywhere," Alicia responded pointedly. "No matter how blurry the photograph is."

Veronica's head snapped up, jeans forgotten. No one but Meg had put that part of the story together, and she hadn't intended for anyone else to find out.

She glanced around the room warily, but no one was paying them any attention. Gia and Lilly were busy regaling their uncle with tales from the movie set, while their mother looked on proudly. And Mandy's piano playing was effectively drowning out all conversation from their side of the room.

She turned her gaze back towards her aunt. "Okay, fine. It _was_ me in that picture," she admitted grudgingly. "But nothing was, or is, or ever _will_ be going on between me and Logan Echolls. Those stories have _zero_ basis in fact. We barely even know each other."

Veronica's adamancy only heightened Alicia's curiosity, and she couldn't help pressing the issue. "That picture suggests otherwise," she noted.

"We were playing a game of pool," Veronica replied, rather defensively. "And that's the whole story."

"All right," Alicia said mildly, sensing her niece's rising indignation. "I believe you." After a brief pause, she continued. "So is there anyone _else_ in your life? Someone special?"

"No one serious," Veronica answered, relieved at the change in topic.

"What about this boy who's picking you up?" Alicia asked. "Troy? Lilly and Gia certainly seem to think he's someone special."

Veronica shrugged noncommittally, but the smile on her lips betrayed her. "He's just a friend."

"So far," Alicia amended.

"So far," Veronica repeated, smile widening into a grin. "And he should be here any minute," she added, standing up slowly. "So I should probably finish packing." She hesitated, though, eyeing her aunt speculatively. "Maybe you could, um, let me know what you think about him? Before we leave?"

"Oh, honey, you were getting _that_ whether you asked or not," Alicia teased.

Veronica laughed, relieved at the promise of her aunt's objectivity. She liked Troy; he was easy to talk to, fun to flirt with and always quick to flatter. It was impossible _not_ to like him. Even her guy friends, normally rather prickly when faced with male newcomers, had welcomed him into their group instantly.

_So why am I holding back?_ she asked herself. _He's made it very clear that he's interested. All I have to do is say the word. _

The sudden appearance of her uncle expelled thoughts of Troy from her mind, as she attempted not to laugh at the expression on his face. Hank was her mother's youngest sibling, and he and Veronica had always been close. At the moment he was mouthing "help me" with deliberate exaggeration, as he headed towards them.

When he reached the couch he slung an arm across her shoulders and leaned close to her ear. "They could talk the fur off a cat," he informed her in a whisper. "Give me sanctuary?"

"Granted," she grinned, gesturing for him to join them.

Hank dropped his arm and sunk down gratefully onto the couch beside his wife. He placed a kiss on her cheek in greeting, then looked back up at Veronica. "And what are you two murmuring about, over here?" he inquired. "Or do I need to know the secret password?"

"It's a handshake," Veronica informed him. "And it's classified."

"Ah, a clandestine conference?" He raised an eyebrow. "That sounds far more intriguing than the plot of my brother-in-law's new film. Which your sisters have just educated me about in minute detail, by the way."

"You're always saying knowledge is power, Professor," Alicia teased him.

"True. And as fascinating as 'David's' betrayal of 'Brody' is," he replied, "I'm not sure how much use that knowledge will be in my daily life." He paused. "Although I _am_ intrigued about 'Corey's' secret love for 'Kelly'."

"Spoiler alert: it's not a secret," Veronica told him. "Kelly knows all about it." She shook her head. "I'm so sad that I know that." She was only half-joking. In truth, her uncle's movie was turning out to be a lot more interesting than she'd bargained for.

"I see you've gotten sucked into the movie madness, Hank," Keith spoke up from the doorway. He walked forward slowly, lips pressed into a smirk and fingers crossed. "Personally, I'm rooting for Brody and Olivia."

"And where have you been hiding?" Alicia asked.

"His office," Veronica replied for him. "That's where he goes to 'work'."

"Air quotes, honey?" Keith asked. "Do I really deserve that?"

"I'm just saying," she returned with a shrug. "Your working sounds an awful lot like your _snoring_, to my untrained ears."

"Talk to me after you have five children of your own," he remarked dryly. "A long, long time from now."

"Five?" Veronica scoffed. "I don't even know if I want _one_."

Lianne, spotting her husband across the room, called out to him from her seat in the opposite corner. "What are you all talking about, over there?" she questioned. "I can't hear a word over this _racket_."

Overhearing her mother, Mandy stopped playing abruptly. The tips of her ears turned pink in embarrassment, and the room was suddenly bathed in an awkward silence.

"The merits of having children," Hank replied, not without irony. He smiled kindly at Mandy. "Although not everyone is so lucky to have such a musically gifted child."

Lianne placed her palm flat against her chest, insensible to his admonition. "Oh, kids are wonderful. I've _always_ wanted to be a young grandmother." Her eyes lightened, her expression hopeful. She glanced around the room from daughter to daughter as she spoke. "One of you girls has to promise me that you'll have a big wedding."

Her longing gaze finally landed upon Meg, who was studying the sheet music in front of her diligently. Meg's eyes remained downcast as Lianne continued to watch her. "With hundreds of guests," she continued dreamily, "and a live orchestra. And a wedding gown with a long train, like Princess Diana's."

Lilly snorted. "Yeah, good luck with all that, Mom. I'm eloping to Tahiti."

"_I'm_ eloping to Tahiti!" Gia protested. "That was _my_ idea!"

While everyone was distracted by the twins' argument, Meg took the opportunity to stand up and slip quietly from the room. Veronica and Alicia exchanged a look, her aunt nodding in silent understanding, and Veronica followed her sister out the door.

She found Meg upstairs in her bedroom, sitting on her bed next to an open suitcase but not packing. Instead, her sister stared down at the phone in her hand. Veronica walked silently forward until she could see the image on the screen. It was a photograph of Meg and Duncan, arms around one another and smiling at the camera.

Meg spoke without looking up. "I asked Madison to take this picture."

"You look happy," Veronica remarked softly. "Both of you."

"I thought we were."

Veronica pushed the suitcase away, taking a seat on the edge of Meg's bed. "Will you try and see him, when you're in New York?"

"I doubt it," Meg replied. She turned her screen off and set her phone down, then stood up and walked over to her dresser. "I'll probably see Madison and Trina, though."

Veronica glanced up in alarm. "Why would you want to do that?"

Meg looked back at her, confused. "Why wouldn't I? We're still friends, even if…" She pulled several t-shirts out of her drawer, but made no move towards her suitcase. "Madison messaged me last night," Meg told her. "She said that they'd all been really busy, but she'd call me soon to catch up."

"Did you tell her you're going to be in New York for the weekend?" Veronica asked.

"Not yet. I figured I'd surprise her when I got there."

Veronica's apprehension grew, but she bit her lip on her words of warning. Meg was incredibly stubborn, when it came to thinking the best of everyone. "And have you… spoken to anyone else?"

"Who, Duncan?" Meg questioned, wry smile on her lips. "It's okay, Veronica. I'm not going to burst into tears at the sound of his name." She walked over to her suitcase and set the shirts inside. "No," she said decisively. "It may have taken two unanswered phone calls and three unanswered text messages, but I eventually got the point. He's not interested in me. If he ever was."

"He was," Veronica insisted. "He _is_. I'm sure of it."

"Stop me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure guys who like you actually return your phone calls," Meg remarked. "And they don't just pick up and leave town without saying goodbye." She shook her head. "It's okay. He never made me any promises. And we never did anything more than kiss. It's my own fault, really, for assuming he felt the same way I did."

Veronica didn't reply, but frustration washed over her in waves. She was angry at Duncan all over again, for letting his family talk him into leaving. For not reaching out to Meg, privately, to tell her what was happening- or even to say goodbye. _For being a damned coward._

She struggled to find the magic words that would take away Meg's pain, but she knew there was nothing she could say. They were silent for several moments, until Backup started to bark, announcing a visitor. Veronica stood up abruptly. "Damn it. Troy's here. I'm not even done packing."

"Go," Meg insisted, forcing a smile. "I'm fine."

Veronica gave her a quick hug, before hurrying out of the room and down the stairs. She was attempting to beat either of her parents to the door, not wanting to subject Troy to her dad's interrogation or her mom's incessant chatter.

But as she came down the stairs, she saw immediately that her concerns were unfounded. Troy stood in the foyer wearing a relaxed smile, one hand shaking her father's firmly and the other grasping a bouquet of yellow roses.

"Veronica said you were a fan," Troy was telling her dad. "And I knew I wouldn't be here to use them, so…"

Keith smiled gratefully, looking down to inspect the pair of tickets in his hand. "Excellent seats," he noted with approval. "Right behind the dugout."

Seeing Veronica approach, Keith held up the tickets. "Padres," her dad informed her, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Tomorrow night!" He turned back towards Troy. "Why don't you come in for a few minutes?" he invited him. "Meet the rest of the family."

Taken aback by this unprecedented friendliness towards a male friend, Veronica hung back with Troy while her dad proceeded into the living room. "Smooth," she noted quietly. "And I assume those flowers are for my mom?"

Troy gave her a lopsided grin. "What can I say? I give good parent."

"Ap_parent_ly," she joked.

"Oh, well done," he replied, flashing her a thumbs up. Troy's eyes strayed to her tea-stained jeans. "Hey, listen, I know you were excited to see me and all. But-"

Veronica smacked him on the arm. "Oh shut up," she said, pulling him forward into the hall. "Come on, follow me into the zoo," she instructed.

They headed into the living room, where Troy was treated to a warm greeting from her younger sisters and quickly introduced to her mother. Her mom was delighted that he'd brought her flowers, giggling like a teenager as she accepted them and insisting he meet Hank and Alicia.

Hank and Troy fell into easy conversation, while Alicia telegraphed her preliminary approval of their visitor to Veronica. Feeling slightly more relaxed after receiving her aunt's endorsement, Veronica re-focused her attention on Troy.

"Oh nice, I love Brooklyn," he was remarking. "Which part do you live in?"

"You know Grace Church?" Hank asked. Receiving a nod, he continued. "We're right across the street."

"That's a great neighborhood," Troy said enthusiastically. "Really eclectic. I spent a little time in that area last summer."

Veronica's ears pricked up at this. _Was that before or after Logan kicked him out?_ she wondered. _And who was he staying with?_

"It is," Hank agreed. "We've been there about five years. It's hard getting our friends to come visit, and my commute into the city is a royal pain in the ass. But there's great beer in every pub and I can buy vinyl again. So it's a fair trade."

Veronica narrowed her eyes at her uncle. "Are you turning into a hipster?" she accused.

"His jeans _are_ getting suspiciously skinny," Alicia remarked.

While her husband laughed and continued speaking with Troy, Alicia observed the young man curiously. He was a charmer, there was no doubt about that. _The kind of guy who knows exactly how charismatic he is, and isn't opposed to using it to his advantage. And that kind of guy can break your heart._

As Veronica joined their conversation, her aunt watched them interact. There was a flirtatious familiarity between Troy and Veronica; their body language made it clear they were attracted to one another. But she witnessed no real sentiment beneath their superficial interest, and no signs of a deeper attachment. She relaxed, convinced her niece was in no danger of heartbreak any time soon.

Upon overhearing Troy's interest in local Brooklyn artists (professed, coincidentally, _after_ he learned that she owned an art gallery), Alicia re-joined the conversation. Within a few minutes, she was so thoroughly flattered by Troy's enthusiasm for the topic that any lingering concerns she had about her niece's suitor disappeared entirely.

Satisfied that Troy was in good hands, Veronica snuck away to finish packing. And twenty minutes later, after a long string of goodbyes, she and her three younger sisters climbed into Troy's rented Jeep Wrangler and left to meet Mac.

**xxXxx **

Summoned to his foster father's office only moments after Jake's return from Hong Kong, Logan paused in the doorway and peeked inside before entering. Jake was seated at his desk, brightly-colored tabloid spread open before him. Logan grimaced at the sight, but rapped his knuckle against the door of the office to announce his presence.

Jake looked up, and Logan's lips quickly morphed into an ironic smile. "I didn't know _The National Instigator_ had started listing stock quotes," he quipped, indicating the tabloid.

"Come on in, Logan."

Logan obeyed wordlessly, closing the heavy wooden door behind him, and Jake gave him a tight smile. "They certainly are persistent," he remarked.

"They certainly are," Logan agreed darkly.

Thanks to one fuzzy photo of him and Veronica, Logan had been pulled most unwillingly into the spotlight. The paparazzi had gotten so relentless that he'd been forced to hire an imposing ex-military security guard named Clarence- an old friend of Jake's. The man had insisted immediately that Logan curtail his solo trips outside of the house. _And it's seriously cramping my style._

Jake read aloud from the magazine. "'Our sources confirm what we have long suspected: Software mogul Jake Kane was furious to learn the news of his son's secret affair, and continues to do everything in his power to keep the couple apart. He has even gone so far as to enlist his famous foster son, Logan Echolls, into his scheme."

Logan rolled his eyes and took a seat, as Jake went on. "'They've always spent a lot of time together," one source reveals. 'But now Logan won't let Duncan out of his sight.' Recent photos shot in New York (see below) seem to prove that Logan is keeping his friend close. Another source insists that Logan and Jake will stop at nothing in their efforts to distance Duncan from the woman he loves. 'I wouldn't be surprised if they read his emails and look through his phone'."

Jake set the magazine down, taking off his reading glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. "This has gotten completely out of hand."

"But they're not far off," Logan admitted wryly.

"No," Jake agreed. "They're not. To an alarming degree." He slid his glasses back onto his face and stared at Logan. "Who is the source they're quoting?" Jake demanded, throwing up his hands in frustration. "Is it this Megan person, trying to stir the pot? Is she attempting to make herself look sympathetic, so Duncan makes some kind of grand gesture?"

"Meg," Logan corrected absently. He picked up the pyramid-shaped brass paperweight off the edge of Jake's desk, turning it over in his hands. "And I don't know.

"You seemed pretty sure of yourself when the story first came out," Jake reminded him. "You were _certain_ that she was involved. You even suggested that the girl may scheme to get pregnant, to try and force Duncan to marry her." He leaned forward slightly in his chair. "So tell me truthfully, Logan. Do you still think Meg is behind this?"

Logan set the paperweight back down on the desk, scratching at the back of his neck uncomfortably. He didn't make a habit of lying to Jake; but on the morning after the party, he'd been desperate. He'd needed to get out of town- fast. So he'd told Jake all about the article, and all about Meg; embellishing slightly to convey his urgency. _And it's possible I went too far._

"I thought she was for sure, at first," he replied honestly. "But now…" Logan shook his head. It bothered him that the newest rumors were so accurate. _Meg is still in Neptune._ _How would she know what's been going on here? Unless she's still in contact with Duncan…_

"Alright," Jake said, accepting Logan's judgment. "Then what about this family of hers? You mentioned they've been having some financial difficulties?"

"That was the rumor, in Neptune," Logan confirmed. "But unless we get, like, a private investigator on the case, it's impossible to know for sure."

"Maybe we should," Jake responded, looking thoughtful. "I mean, I hate to assume the worst of anyone. But if you think they're a real threat…" He let the sentence hang, waiting for Logan to comment. When he didn't, Jake decided to ask directly. "Do you think we need to worry about this girl's family?"

Logan shrugged. He didn't want to think about the Mars family. _But when Jake Kane asks a question, he expects an answer._ "No," he replied firmly. "Not anymore. They're three thousand miles away."

"But they won't be when you-"

"And I've been checking his phone, like you asked," Logan interrupted quickly, delivering the lie with ease. "He hasn't tried to contact her."

"Well, good. That's a relief." Jake drummed his fingers against his desk distractedly. "How has Duncan been handling all of this? When I got here he seemed… subdued."

"I'm keeping as much of it from him as I can," Logan replied. "All he knows is that someone talked to the press, made up a bunch of lies. And we've finally got him convinced that it was her."

"I don't like to see him so upset," Jake said quietly, lines creasing his forehead. He glanced down at the tabloid again. "I mean, I'm not a _dictator_. If he really cares for this girl…" He looked up at Logan. "Then why should I stand in the way of his happiness?"

"That's a nice sentiment," Logan remarked dryly. "But remember Nicole? Bianca? _They_ made him happy too, if you recall. And we both know how those situations ended."

Jake sighed. "You're right," he admitted. "Duncan hasn't always shown the best judgment."

"Exactly. Look, when it comes down to it, he barely knows her." Logan sat up straighter, bolstered by his own words. "And there's no way this thing with her is anything more than a crush. How… how could it be?"

"Okay. Good." Jake nodded slowly, too deep in thought to wonder why Logan had suddenly stumbled over his words. "Well, I'm relieved that you don't think there's any danger in Duncan returning to Neptune."

Logan blinked several times. "Wait. _What?_"

Jake stared at him. "Isn't that what we've been discussing?"

"You want him to go _back_?" Logan asked. He jabbed his index finger in the direction of the tabloid. "After all of _that_?"

"I want _both_ of you to go back," Jake corrected calmly. "You just said yourself that the girl isn't a threat. And I still need Duncan in Neptune, learning the business. Nothing has changed."

_Everything has changed._ Logan looked down, attempting to collect his thoughts. After half a moment he raised his head, meeting his foster father's eyes. "I said she isn't a threat while she's all the way across the country," he pointed out. "But if he has the opportunity to get close to her again…"

Logan paused and took a deep breath, struggling to remain calm. It was critical that he not return to Neptune, right now. He couldn't risk feeding the tabloids' raging appetite for fresh gossip; especially while Veronica remained a temptation quite impossible for him to ignore.

"Look," he continued slowly. "I'll do whatever you need me to do. But I think it would be a mistake to bring him back out there right now. If he stays here in the city, at least for the summer, he'll forget all about her by the fall. And then, once he returns, she won't be an issue anymore. He'll have moved on, and she'll have moved on, and…" He cleared his throat. "And everything will go back to normal."

Jake didn't speak right away. He studied Logan carefully, weighing his words. Very few people were aware of how much consideration he gave to his foster son's opinions. Not even Logan himself knew the degree of Jake's trust in him. "It sounds like you've given this some thought," he noted.

"I have."

"Alright," Jake decided. "You kids will stay in New York for the summer. I'll send Gory out to Neptune in the interim." He folded up the tabloid, considering the matter closed for the moment. "And I guess the best thing to do is to keep Duncan busy. Help him forget about her."

"I'm trying," Logan replied softly.

There was a knock on the door. At a word from Jake, it opened slowly, revealing his assistant Nish. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. Kane," she said. "But Senator Davis is here? He said he'd like a quick word."

"Thanks, Nish. I'll be right out." Jake stood up, buttoning his suit jacket and straightening his tie. "I'll be back in a minute," he told Logan, as he headed for the door. "And then we can discuss that other matter."

Logan nodded. When the door closed, his eyes went instantly to the folded tabloid on Jake's desk. Against his better judgment, he reached over and picked it up, flipping through it until he found the pertinent story.

"_And what about Logan Echolls's own love life?"_ he read. _"After doing a little digging, we've discovered that the mystery blonde he was canoodling __with in our July 5th issue may in fact be long-time friend Hannah Griffith. 'They've been close since they were kids,' one source confirms. 'But now they've decided to take things to the next level.'"_

Logan rolled his eyes. _Whoever this source is needs to get their vision checked. Veronica is six inches shorter than Hannah and twice as pretty. _He refolded the paper, tossing it down onto Jake's desk in disgust. _And _Hannah's_ not the Griffith sister who likes to canoodle._

**xxXxx **

Veronica was crouched down low in the last aisle of the convenience store, the latest copy of _The National Instigator_ spread open across her lap.

"_Yet a different source disputes this theory, insisting that Logan's mystery girl is _not_ Hannah Griffith. 'The girl in the picture isn't anyone special, trust me. She was just some random hookup at a party. Logan isn't interested in getting serious with _anyone_, right now.'"_

"_So which is it, readers? Has Logan Echolls found true love with his mystery blonde? Or is he content being a playboy? Vote now in our online poll!" _

"_There_ you are."

Veronica started slightly, closing the magazine hastily and replacing it on the rack. When she looked up, Mac was gazing down at her curiously.

"Sorry," Veronica replied. "I just wanted something to read on the flight." She grabbed a copy of _Vogue_ and stood up, just as Lilly turned the corner.

"Come _on_," her sister said impatiently, spotting her and Mac. "We're all wait-" She stopped speaking, eyeing the magazine in Veronica's hand. "Oh, good idea."

Lilly reached across Veronica, selecting the very magazine that Veronica had just put back.

Veronica frowned at the sight of it. "How can you buy that garbage?"

"How can I not?" Lilly retorted. "They made our sister famous."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'infamous'," Veronica corrected quietly.

Lilly, already walking away, didn't hear her; but Mac gave her cousin a tight smile, patting her on the shoulder. "We'll call Meg tonight," she promised. "Make sure she's doing okay."

Veronica nodded, and they headed towards the checkout counter.

**xxXxx **

As Troy's Jeep crossed the tarmac towards the waiting plane, he glanced over at Veronica in the passenger seat. Her sisters had gone with Mac when they'd left the convenience store (after a bit of nudging and throat-clearing on Mac's part), and Troy was completely alone with Veronica for the first time since they'd met.

"So it's probably not cool to admit this," he told her. "But I'm a bit of a nervous flyer." He gave her a crooked grin. "Will you keep me company during the flight?"

"Sure," Veronica agreed. "But I call window."

It was an easy promise for her to make. Veronica hadn't seen much of Troy over the past two weeks, her concern for Meg overshadowing her personal life. She'd been looking forward to spending a little time with him. _And maybe Troy will act as Dick-repellent,_ she thought hopefully. Dick had been intolerable since she'd danced with him the night of the Kanes' party.

With that evening brought once again to the forefront of her mind, Veronica turned towards Troy. "Hey, you never told me why you missed the big Kane bash a couple of weeks ago."

"I had to do some looping for that movie I shot in L.A.," he answered smoothly. "You know, like voiceovers?"

"And you had to go _that_ night?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, technically, no," he admitted. "But I decided that me, Logan and alcohol may not be the best combination after all. That temper of his doesn't get any better after he's got a few drinks in him." Troy rubbed his jaw absently in remembrance. "Trust me."

He pulled up behind Mac's VW bug and put the car in park, his eyes on Veronica. "You still talk to him at all?" he asked casually.

"Logan?" she asked, surprised at the question. "No, not since they left. It's not like we exchanged phone numbers."

She unbuckled her seat belt slowly, looking at him curiously. "Why would you think that?"

Troy unbuckled his own seatbelt and smiled. "A little birdie told me you two seemed very friendly, at the party."

"Who?" she demanded. Troy shook his head, smile widening, and she rolled her eyes. "Well your bird friend has a tiny little bird brain to match," she informed him. "We danced because I was trying to be polite. And that's as friendly as we got."

That wasn't quite the whole truth. She'd seen Logan twice more, that evening; and both encounters had been rather more intimate than expected. Veronica remained baffled by Logan's behavior towards her, on that night and on previous occasions. _But I'm certainly not going to discuss any of that with Troy. Especially given their past._

"Easy girl," Troy replied, laughing lightly. He patted her arm. "Come on," he urged. "Las Vegas is waiting."

**xxXxx**

The sun hung low in the sky as they boarded the airplane, its orange reflection gleaming off the sleek silver aircraft. Veronica felt a jolt of exhilaration as she climbed the steps, suddenly very eager to depart Neptune and leave her problems on the ground.

Wealthy as the Casablancas family was, they weren't quite prosperous enough to own their own plane. The private jet was on loan from Cydell, the agency that represented Dick. He'd taken advantage of their hospitality by inviting over a dozen people to Las Vegas with him; all of whom considered themselves more distinguished for the honor.

The interior proved to be just as impressive as the exterior, complete with reclining leather seats, a couch, a full bar, a flat-screen TV and even a shower. A variety of food awaited them, displayed appealingly upon a long mahogany table, and many of the guests were already filling up their plates.

The _Dom Pérignon_ was flowing before the plane had even taken off, and Dick raised a full glass of it high in the air. "Thank you, Kendall!" he praised.

Troy looked up, an odd little smile on his face. Noticing, Veronica asked, "Do you know her?"

"I used to see her around a lot, when my dad worked with Aaron," he replied. "You remember I told you she was Aaron's personal assistant?"

_How could I forget?_ "Oh, right," she said aloud.

The stewardess came by to inform them of their imminent departure, and Veronica downed the rest of her champagne. She and Troy strapped themselves into their seats as the plane began to race down the runway, and he grasped her hand as they made their ascent.

When they leveled off, Troy turned to his left. "Much easier than normal," he informed her with a grateful grin. She returned his smile, and he squeezed her hand and let go.

"So do _you_ know her?" he asked, continuing their earlier conversation.

"Kendall? I _feel_ like I do," she laughed. "Dick doesn't shut up about her. But no, I've never met her. What's she like?"

Troy's gaze flickered towards Dick, wondering briefly if his friend's relationship with Kendall was strictly professional. _I'll have to ask him later, _he decided. _She doesn't loan out this jet to just anyone. _

He re-focused his attention on Veronica. "Well, it's been a long time since I've seen her," he began. "And I'm not sure words do her justice." He laughed briefly. "But I could tell you some _very_ interesting stories."

Always eager for new information (and more than a little intrigued by the notorious Kendall), Veronica unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned back in her chair. "It just so happens, I've got a little time to kill."

Troy followed suit, twisting his body towards her slightly, and started speaking in a lowered voice. "Rumor has it that she comes from very humble beginnings," he told her. "But she doesn't like people to know it."

"How humble?"

"A trailer park in western Pennsylvania," Troy replied. "Followed by a studio apartment in Brooklyn, after the death of her mother."

Veronica narrowed her eyes. "How do you know all of this?"

Troy ignored her question, continuing with his story. "Her dad got mixed up with some people in New York, some Irish thugs he owed money to. And when Kendall was sixteen, he wound up in jail. She didn't want to end up in foster care, so she ran away to California with her little sister."

The stewardess came by to refill their champagne. As soon as she left, Veronica nodded to Troy. "Go on," she urged.

"No one's really sure what she did for the next five years, but she must have done _something_ right. Because the next thing you know, she's working as personal assistant to the hottest actor in Hollywood."

"Aaron Echolls," Veronica said.

"Right," he confirmed. "A position that required her to get into several… _flexible_ positions of her own, as the story goes."

Veronica's eyes widened at this; precisely the reaction he was looking for. Troy clinked the side of her glass and drank deeply of his champagne, taking a moment to revel in the luxuriousness of his surroundings. _Once you've been on a private jet, drinking _Dom Pérignon_ next to a gorgeous blonde… no other kind of travel will do, _he decided.

"So what did she do after Aaron died?" Veronica questioned. _Aside from taking advantage of his orphaned son…_

"I'm not really sure," Troy replied. "She stayed out of the public eye until about six months ago, when she married Cyrus O'Dell."

"Who's Cyrus O'Dell?"

"The owner of this very plane," he explained, patting the arm of his chair. "The proprietor and CEO of the Cydell Agency. Who is, incidentally, a man old enough to be her father."

"Cy-dell," Veronica repeated slowly, rolling her eyes. "Of course. It all makes sense now."

Troy took another sip of his champagne and leaned in closer to her. "You know," he whispered, "not a lot of people know about Kendall's past. I'm trusting you to keep what I've told you to yourself."

"Of course," she promised. "But you have to tell me how _you_ know."

"I learned it from the person who knows her best, of course," he replied. "Logan Echolls."

Troy watched her expression carefully as he delivered this piece of news. Yet Veronica turned her face towards the window, robbing him of her reaction. He wondered again if there was anything between her and Logan. Troy didn't think it likely; not after what _he'd_ told her.

But he'd seen something in Logan's eyes, that night on the beach. Veronica meant something to Logan; he was sure of it. It was what had first elevated her, in his own mind, from potential hookup to coveted prize. The prospect of beating Logan Echolls in a challenge was far too enticing to pass up. _The question is, does _he_ mean anything to _her_?_

Determined to draw Veronica's attention back to him, Troy rubbed his palms up and down his thighs in a nervous gesture. "Please tell me we're almost there."

Hearing him, Lilly walked over to their seats. "You bored already?" she asked. She tossed her magazine on his lap. "Here. There aren't any naked girls in it, but it's all I've got."

"_Lilly_," Veronica objected.

But Troy just laughed, eyes trailing down Lilly's body appreciatively as she walked away. When she was back in her own seat he looked down at the magazine, flipping through its pages idly until he saw a photo of Logan and Duncan. Curious, he paused to read the accompanying article.

Spotting the photo herself, Veronica rolled her eyes, glancing out the window while she waited for him to turn the page. But when she looked over at him a moment later, he was still engrossed.

After a couple of minutes, Troy looked up at her. "I'm sorry about what they're doing to Meg," he said. "She doesn't deserve it."

"No, she doesn't," Veronica agreed, pleased at his show of sympathy.

"But this part, right here?" Troy snorted, rapping his index finger against the bottom of the page.

Veronica squinted at the words. "About Logan and Hannah?"

"Yeah. _This_ doesn't surprise me at all."

"Why?" she asked. "Who's Hannah?"

"She's Kendall's little sister."

Veronica stared at him. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope. And I wouldn't be surprised if Kendall was the one who set the whole thing up. If it's true, that is."

"Even though she and Logan…?"

"You think she cares about a little thing like that?" he asked. "If her sister marries a billionaire, she's set for life."

"Um, isn't she _already_ set for life?" Veronica asked, indicating the lavish interior of the jet.

"For now. But once Cyrus kicks the bucket…" Troy mimed a rapid descent with his hand, followed by an explosion.

"Ah," Veronica comprehended. "She signed a prenup."

"Cyrus is no dummy," Troy said with a grin. "But then, neither is Kendall."

Veronica didn't respond, her mind swirling. Troy had given her so much information that she wasn't sure which part to process first. The part about Hannah, though, had perhaps been the biggest surprise. _She's Kendall's _sister_. Could Logan actually be dating her?_

_No, _she decided. _The tabloids are only speculating on Logan's love life because of that photo of us. So there's almost certainly nothing to it. Unless Troy's right, and Kendall is actively trying to get the two of them together?_

She took a sip of her champagne and turned toward Troy. "What's Hannah like?"

"Uh, skinny, blonde, sort of quiet. A little younger than us so… Logan's type," he replied, with a raised brow.

Veronica frowned at this pointed reminder about Logan's past, disliking the flippant way Troy had brought it up. It wasn't anything to joke about. Troy's account of Logan's actions the previous summer still disturbed her deeply, and she had a strong urge to bring it up again. But he'd begun a conversation with Gia and Chip, while she'd been silent; she'd have to find a better time.

Her gaze strayed to the open magazine on his lap. There was a small reprint of the photo of her and Logan in the corner. She stared at the fuzzy photograph until the image seemed to sharpen, the lines of his tuxedo smoothing and his brown eyes lingering on hers.

Troy shifted in his seat and the magazine slipped to the ground. He didn't notice, too busy speaking animatedly to several other passengers. Veronica turned away from Troy and his growing group of admirers, no longer in the mood for conversation. She looked out the tiny airplane window, staring at the darkening desert below.

**xxXxx**

Her mood improved greatly upon their arrival at the _Bellagio_, where Dick (or, more likely, his agency) had booked their entire party rooms on the same floor. Veronica and Mandy stood with their heads thrown back, marveling at the beauty of the massive glass sculpture affixed to the ceiling of the lobby. It wasn't the first time Veronica had seen it, but it always took her breath away.

"Neat," Troy remarked, coming up beside them.

"It's called _Fiori di Como_," Mandy spoke up shyly. "It means 'flowers of the lake'. Isn't it pretty?"

"Not as pretty as you," Troy smiled.

Mandy went pink at the compliment, returning his smile hesitantly. "There are two thousand blossoms," she went on, encouraged by his interest. "It took Dale Chihuly and his team over two years to make. And it weighs over forty thousand pounds."

"It's, uh, pretty secure right?" Troy asked, looking askance at the colorful glass blooms.

Before Mandy could answer, Dick returned from the front desk with two plastic key cards. "Which lucky lady wants an all-access pass to the _Love Lounge_?" he asked the assembled crowd, rotating his hips in a slow, suggestive circle.

There were a few giggling responses, but Dick abruptly changed his mind. "On second thought." He handed one of the keys to Veronica. "Here. You're the responsible one. Hang onto this for me in case I lose mine." Dick bent down to whisper in her ear. "Or in case you're feeling frisky later."

She didn't dignify that with a response, instead following the rest of their group to the elevators and up to the rooms.

Dick's suite was, naturally, the most elaborate of the bunch. With large floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the famous fountains and The Strip, the view was quite simply the best in the city.

Since Dick's accommodations were the largest, and thus best suited for their group of twelve, it quickly became established that his suite would serve as their central meeting place. Furnished with a large and comfortable L-shaped couch, a dining room, a sizeable wet bar and even a conference room, it was more than suitable for the job.

Veronica's suite was right next door to Dick's and only slightly less extravagant. It was so spacious that she would have been more than happy to share it with one of her sisters. Yet Lilly and Gia had their own room, and Mandy was staying with Mac.

Not for the first time, Veronica found herself missing Meg. She sent her a quick text message to tell her that they had landed safely, and asking her to do the same. The thought of Meg, so far away, was distressing. _But Hank and Alicia will take good care of her._ Determined not to dwell on it, she set herself to the task of unpacking.

**xxXxx**

The pot smoke was thick and the TV loud when Veronica made her way back into Dick's suite. She found most of her friends seated in the conference room, holding a mock meeting as they passed around a glass bowl.

"I hereby declare," Dick began, "that Taco Tuesdays will now be held on Wednesdays!"

Dick slammed his fist down on the table as the others laughed; then he accepted the bowl from Susan and took a deep hit. Veronica exited the room silently as he exhaled, feeling a little light-headed from the lack of oxygen.

She retreated to the living room, where Troy, Gia, Lilly and Casey were playing a rousing drinking game called Zoomy Zoomy. Lilly was the current leader, slapping her hands on her thighs and clapping them in a breakneck rhythm that the others attempted (and failed) to follow.

Veronica took a seat next to Troy, joining in the game at the start of the next round. After half an hour had passed, all of the players were teetering just on the edge of drunkenness.

"Um, it's only eight o'clock," Casey pointed out with a laugh. "We should probably pace ourselves."

The rest of them agreed, just as the group from the conference room began to trickle into the living room.

"We need to eat," Chip announced, his hand stuffed deep into a bag of Doritos.

"Yeah, we took a vote," Susan added, giggling. "It was unanimous."

"It was," Carrie agreed, taking the bag of Doritos from Chip. "Are you guys ready? We're starving."

It took a little while for everyone to gather together their things for the evening, but eventually they began to make their way down the hallway towards the elevators. They were just about to head downstairs to the restaurant when Veronica realized she forgot her purse.

She stepped off of the elevator quickly, waving a dismissive hand towards the group. "I'll meet you guys there," she called.

Veronica found her bag on one of the chairs in the dining room, where she'd unceremoniously tossed it when she'd entered Dick's suite. Feeling a sudden bout of dizziness, she placed one hand on the top of the chair back and paused to take a breath. _I drank too much_, she acknowledged. _And I probably should have eaten something on the plane._

After a couple of minutes, Veronica felt all right again. She stood up straight and headed towards the door, but it opened before she reached it. Dick stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"What, did you forget where the lobby is?" she teased him.

But he didn't smile. Sometimes smoking weed made him oddly introspective, prompting him to think about his life, his future. Tonight had been one of those nights.

"No," he replied. "I wanted to talk to you for a minute. You know, like in private."

Veronica felt her stomach tighten, and it wasn't from hunger. Settling her purse strap over her shoulder, she smiled at Dick. "Later, okay?" she asked. "I'm starving."

As she moved towards the door, Dick stepped forward and grabbed her arm. "Wait."

She stopped, unsure what else to do, closing her eyes briefly before turning around to face him.

"Look, I think- I mean…" He put his hands on his hips. "I want you to be my girlfriend," he said, in typically straightforward fashion. "Okay? You're like, my best friend. And you're the only chick I can even stand for more than an hour."

"Well _that's_ a ringing endorsement," she noted, avoiding an actual reply.

"You know what I mean." Dick paused. "You and me? Come on, we'd be perfect together."

"Um, we'd be _terrible_ together," she corrected. "Not to mention looking like matching Malibu Barbie and Ken dolls."

"What's so terrible about it?" he demanded, not amused at her joke. "It's because I dropped out, isn't it? You don't think I'm smart enough for you."

"Of course not," Veronica denied. "It's because we… We don't have any of the same interests. We're just not…"

She broke off, determined not to say anything that would hurt his feelings. "Not to mention the fact that I still have another year before I graduate," she added. "And you're going to be off on the Pro surfing tour, travelling the world."

Dick shrugged. "So come with me."

"How could I possibly-"

"Come _with_ me, Ronnie," he implored, taking both of her hands in his enthusiasm. "I can totally get you tutors, or whatever. And we can see the world together. Chile, Australia, South Africa…"

"My parents would never go for that in a million years," she pointed out.

"Sure they would," he disputed. "I've known your parents forever. Our moms are like best friends." Dick dropped her hands, running his now-free right hand through his hair. "Look, it's no secret that your family is in bad shape. I can help them out. And if they still want to give you a hard time about it, we can get hitched."

Veronica's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"You know, married," he explained. "We _are_ in Vegas."

Veronica took a steadying breath, suddenly feeling extremely sober. "I'm _seventeen_," she reminded him patiently.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they don't care about that here," Dick replied with a laugh. Veronica didn't laugh with him, but he decided to take her silence as a good sign. "I want someone around me who I can trust, Ronnie. And I can take care of you."

She spoke slowly, measuring her words. "Dick, I'm flattered. I really, really am. But I'm way too young to get married. And so are you. So let's just blame this on the weed, or the alcohol, or whatever," she suggested, forcing a laugh, "and go meet the others for dinner."

"I'm not drunk!" he yelled, startling her. "You think I ask chicks to marry me, like, whenever I get bored or something? I _love_ you, Veronica!"

His impassioned declaration was met by silence. It had just become painfully clear that logic wasn't going to work, here. Dick was going to make her spell it out for him. _He's going to make me break his heart. _She looked up at him.

"Dick, I care about you. Very much," she began. "You're one of my best friends. But… I just don't have feelings like that for you. I'm…" She reached for his hand. When he flinched, she let her hand drop to her side. "I'm so sorry."

As her words sunk in, Dick's blue eyes frosted over and his posture became rigid. "Everywhere I go, girls throw themselves at me. But I'm not good enough for _you_? What makes _you_ so fucking special?"

He glared at her, all of his frustration coming to a boil. "Do you even know how long I've felt this way about you? And you're telling me you've never even _thought_ about being with me? Seriously? Not even once?"

"No," she replied quietly. "I haven't."

"_I_ get it," he said, voice thick with sarcasm. "It's because you're so _pure_, right?" He let out a humorless laugh. "But you've got _no_ problem hooking up with Gant, every time you've got a little itch. Unless someone better like Logan Echolls is in town. Or is it Troy, these days? I can't keep track."

Taken aback by his derision, Veronica took a step backwards. Seeing her movement, Dick stepped forward. He seized her shoulders with both hands and bent his head down- intent on proving his worth, determined to show her how he felt. _And when I kiss her, she'll feel it too._

But Veronica went stiff beneath his hands, turning her head to the side and trying to twist her body out of his grasp. "Dick…_no_," she said forcefully.

Dick let go and she broke away from him, moving all the way to the couch. This time, he didn't attempt to follow her. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You know he's just using you, right?"

"Casey?" she asked, surprised.

He ignored her. "So you won't even give me a chance."

It wasn't a question, but Veronica shook her head no. "You're my _friend_," she replied. "And that's important to me. So I hope you want to stay friends." She stepped forward hesitantly. "Maybe we can start by going down to dinner together?" she asked hopefully.

Dick stood completely still, staring at her for a long time. "Fuck dinner," he finally said. "And you know what? Fuck you too."

Without another word, he turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Veronica sunk down onto the couch in shock. She'd never seen Dick that angry before. And he'd _never_ spoken to her that way. She wanted to go after him; to make sure that he didn't do anything stupid. But she knew he wouldn't want her around, right now. _Maybe not ever._

A knock on the door pulled her out of her stupor. She rose instantly and crossed the room, hoping that Dick was coming back to work things out. But when she opened the door, it was Troy.

"Hey," he greeted her. "What are you doing? I tried calling you, but-" Troy stopped talking abruptly as he registered the shaken look on Veronica's face. "What's wrong?"

"Dick and I, we just…" She shook her head. She didn't want to get into it with him. It was too fresh. "We just got into an argument, is all."

She wanted to go back to her room and have a good cry. But Troy was adamantly refusing to leave her alone.

"Alright, listen. This is what we're going to do," he announced. "I'm taking you back to your room, and I'm pouring us both a shot of vodka. And then we're going to go down to the restaurant-"

"I'm not hungry," Veronica protested. "And I don't like vodka." But she let him lead her out of the room, and followed him the twenty feet down the hall to her own room. She fished the key out of her purse, and they went inside.

"Well I'm not going to leave you here alone, all upset," he told her. He thought for a minute. "How closely do you think Dick will look at the bill, when we check out?"

"He won't," Veronica replied. "He'll just sign the credit card receipt."

Troy walked over to the mini bar. "In that case," he said. "Since he was the one responsible for making you upset…" He opened the refrigerator, producing several bottles and setting them on the counter. "Ladies choice," he told her. "Beer, wine, whiskey, gin or champagne?"

Veronica's shock had begun to fade into anger. She still felt badly for hurting Dick. _But he put me in an awful position. He cornered me when I was least expecting it, forced me into rejecting him. And why did he have to do it _now_? After everything that's been going on? This trip was supposed to be fun…_

Her eyes scanned the row of bottles, considering, before she glanced up at Troy. "Which one is the most expensive?" she asked.

"Atta girl," Troy approved. He picked up the bottle of champagne and unwrapped the foil covering, as Veronica took a seat at the counter. He popped the cork expertly, producing two glasses and filling them slowly.

"And since I know we're both hungry," he continued, handing her a glass, "and there's no way I'm letting you spend a night in Vegas, alone and miserable…" He picked up the phone. "I'm thinking we need a little surf and turf, to go with our bubbly. What do you say?"

Veronica raised the glass to her lips, taking a long sip. "Let's do it," she said when she was done. "I'm starving."

**xxXxx**

Logan strolled into _Eleven Madison_ nearly twenty minutes late for his date. The greater part of him hoped the girl had left already, but he knew better. No one ever stood him up.

Recalling a morning several months earlier, waiting for a certain blonde to meet him for breakfast on a yacht, he scowled. _Well, almost no one._

"Mr. Echolls," the hostess greeted him warmly. "Will you be dining with us this evening?"

"No, Jenny, thanks. Just meeting someone at the bar." He nodded to the tall man standing silently behind him. "And he's with me."

Logan breezed past her before she had time to escort them to the bar; he knew the way. Besides, he wanted to get this whole thing over with as soon as possible. He'd only agreed to it in the first place because it seemed like it would be in his best interest to appear in public with a non-mysterious, non-blonde female.

He'd flatly refused to go out to dinner with anyone, but had approved a brief meeting for drinks. His assistant, Cassidy, had set him up with a friend of a friend. He'd also requested that his new bodyguard, Clarence, make himself scarce. _And he seems to be listening._ Logan glanced around the restaurant, unsure where the man had hidden himself.

"Logan?"

He stepped forward, towards the girl offering him a hesitant smile. "Yeah," he replied, sticking out his hand. "That must make you Stacy."

She frowned briefly but nodded and shook his hand, picking her purse up off the bar stool next to her. "I, um, saved you a seat," she told him.

"Thanks." He sat down beside her. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic sucked, as usual."

"Oh. I took the subway."

Logan raised his eyebrow at that. None of his friends ever took the subway. "How adventurous of you," he said aloud. He nodded to her nearly empty drink. "What is that, a rum and coke?" he asked. "You want another one?"

"Uh, just a coke," Stacy replied. In a lowered voice, she added, "I don't have a fake I.D."

"You don't need to worry about that here," Logan smirked. "They know me." He caught the bartender's eye, and the young man walked over to them immediately.

"What can I get for you, Mr. Echolls?"

"Can I get a Jameson, straight up please, Tom?" he asked. He turned towards Stacy. "And the lady will have…"

"Um…a Cosmo?"

Tom nodded and turned away to fix their drinks, while Stacy gave Logan a mischievous grin and a thumbs up beneath the bar.

Logan's phone buzzed on the wooden bar top, and he picked it up. It was a message from Cassidy.

_Well? How is she?_

"You don't remember me, do you?" Stacy asked.

"No. Sorry," he replied distractedly, without looking up.

_The usual, _he typed into his phone.

"We jumped out of the same plane, once," she informed him. "Upstate, in Gardiner."

That caught Logan's attention. He looked up from his phone. "We did?"

"Yeah, last summer. You were dating my friend Caitlin, remember?"

"Caitlin…" he said slowly. He had no memory of a Caitlin.

"Yeah, Caitlin Ford?" Stacy urged. "Long blonde hair? A few inches taller than me?"

"Sorry, I don't…" Logan stopped, setting his phone back down on the bar. "Wait, did she have a tiny dog that she, like, kept in her purse?"

Stacy laughed. "Yup. That's her."

"She wouldn't jump," he remembered. "Caitlin, I mean. Not the dog. Only one girl did it."

His date pointed to herself, and Logan squinted his eyes at her. He _did_ sort of remember that day, now that he was thinking about it.

He'd taken a big group upstate with him to the skydiving ranch, but only two other guys and one girl had gone through with it. When the instructor the girl had jumped tandem with had asked her if she wanted to do a backflip out of the plane, she hadn't even hesitated.

"That was you?" he asked.

"It sure was."

Tom returned, then, setting Logan's whiskey in front of him and pouring Stacy's Cosmo into a chilled martini glass.

When he walked away, Logan tapped his glass against Stacy's. "Well, I'm officially impressed," he announced. As he took a sip of his drink, his phone buzzed again.

_Need me to make the call?_

"Good," Stacy replied. "So does that mean you'll stop checking your phone every three seconds?" she teased.

"My assistant Cassidy keeps texting me," Logan apologized.

"Fire her," she suggested with a devious grin.

"It's a 'him', actually," he corrected lightly.

"Ah. Your beard?"

Logan blinked, surprised at the quickness of the quip. He took another sip of his drink before replying. "While he is a _remarkably_ good looking lad," he returned, "I'm afraid he's not quite my type."

"Too short?" she guessed.

"No, I don't mind short. Let's just say he's equipped with one too many appendages for my tastes. But I _am_ a little surprised the gossip rags haven't climbed up that angle, yet."

"Ah, give it a week or so," she joked. "They'll get to it eventually. In the meantime, avoid Broadway musicals and shoe shopping."

"Guess that means cancelling my plans for tomorrow."

Stacy laughed, light and easy, and sipped her drink. He followed suit, taking a moment to study her. She was cute. Brunette and petite, with a rather adorable smattering of freckles across her nose. _And she's actually got a sense of humor._

Logan looked down at his rocks glass. _But it doesn't matter, _he realized._ I don't feel a thing._

He picked up his phone, typing his reply quickly._ Yes._

"So, do you go skydiving a lot?" she questioned.

"I do," he replied. "Can't beat the view, right?"

"I loved it." Stacy stirred her drink slowly, giving him a hopeful smile. "I'd actually really like to go again, if-"

Logan's phone buzzed again; but this time it was a phone call, not a text. _Right on cue._ _Best assistant ever._

"I'm sorry, I have to take this."

He excused himself, walking towards the front entrance in the guise of being polite. After a perfunctory conversation with Cassidy to establish an alibi, Logan returned to the bar. Stacy looked so happy to see him again that he almost lost his nerve. But this would be for the best. _For both of us._

"I'm really sorry," he told her, "But I have to go. There's an emergency on the set of this movie I'm kind of involved with."

"Oh," she replied. "That's okay, I understand."

"You don't happen to know any good crane operators in southern California, do you?" he asked.

"Um, no one comes to mind," she laughed. "Sorry."

"Well, too much to hope for I guess." Logan swallowed the last of his whiskey in a single gulp and set the empty glass back down on the bar. Spotting her nearly full drink, he frowned slightly. He caught Tom's eye, and the bartender hurried over.

"Anything she wants, you put on my tab," he instructed. "And when she's ready to go, can you please call her a cab? Also on me."

"Absolutely, Mr. Echolls."

When he walked away, Logan turned to Stacy. "Call a friend if you want, okay? Or a bunch of friends. Go nuts on my dime. As penance for leaving you alone."

"Logan, it's totally okay," she reassured him with a smile. "Things happen."

"Thanks for being so understanding." After a brief hesitation, Logan bent down and kissed her on the cheek. "It was nice to see you again, Stacy."

"You too," she said. "Good luck with your movie."

"Thanks. Good night."

Clarence appeared out of thin air as he walked away, keeping pace beside him. As they exited the restaurant, and the flashes of a dozen cameras went off, Logan found himself grateful for the man's company. But it had nothing to do with protection from the paparazzi. It was simply comforting, knowing that he wasn't alone.

Logan crouched into the waiting limo and shut the door, closing his eyes against the dim flashes of light. He settled into the corner and leaned his head against the darkened window, trying to convince himself that the emptiness he felt was just a passing phase.

**xxXxx **

The kisses were nice, Veronica supposed. _Or, they ought to be._ There wasn't anything _wrong_ with them, technically speaking. Troy certainly knew what he was doing. _So why do I feel… nothing?_

As she returned Troy's kisses, she tried to clear her mind and relax. They were finally alone; it was what she'd been waiting for. He'd been kind and considerate to her all evening, keeping her company and trying his hardest to cheer her up.

And when they'd dimmed the lights and turned on a movie, she hadn't objected in the least to him putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer. She'd found his nearness comforting.

Then he'd kissed her. And it had felt… off. _But why_? she asked herself again. _I've been thinking about kissing him for over a month, and here we are- kissing. He's a good looking guy. And I _like_ him. What's wrong with me?_

Troy's hand roamed from her hip to her abdomen. His long fingers gathered up the material at bottom of her shirt, sliding beneath her clothing and brushing against bare skin. Veronica pulled away abruptly, breaking off the kiss and sitting up straight. Troy looked at her in surprise.

Confused at her own reaction, and rather frustrated that her body was not obeying her mind, Veronica let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry," she apologized. "I'm not sure what-" She shook her head. "Ignore me," she instructed. She leaned forward to kiss him, determined to stop analyzing everything and enjoy the moment.

As their kissing resumed, Veronica's apprehension slowly began to ease. But when Troy's hand grazed her inner thigh a few minutes later, she pulled away again. This time he frowned, scratching at the side of his neck and regarding her worriedly. "I, uh… I thought you were into me?"

"I am," she insisted. "I'm just…" She shrugged, unable to offer an explanation.

"Alright," he said slowly. "Because I really like you, Veronica."

She smiled. "I like you, too."

Sensing her sincerity, Troy relaxed and moved forward to kiss her again. This time, when he replaced his hand on her thigh, she didn't retreat. Instead, she covered it with her own, holding it still. "Do you think…" she asked between kisses, "we can take this… a little slower?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Sure." But his actions belied his promise, as his free hand began to travel up her shirt. His placed wet kisses down the side of her neck, across her collarbone and to the swell of her breast, where he became particularly attentive.

"_Troy_," she protested, beginning to grow annoyed at his persistence.

"Sorry," he mumbled, showing no sign of halting his progress. "You're just so _sexy_…" His hand cupped her breast tightly, and Veronica pushed him away with both hands and stood up.

"I said go _slower_," she reminded him crossly. "That wasn't slower."

There was a glimmer of anger in Troy's eyes, the fingers of one hand curling inward slightly as he stared up at her. But a second later he relaxed his posture and dropped his gaze downward, shaking his head as though ashamed of himself.

"I'm really sorry," he told her, raising his eyes to meet hers and holding his palms up in surrender. "I guess I just got caught up in the moment. We had a _lot_ to drink."

"Yeah," she acknowledged, still frowning. "We did."

There was an awkward silence as neither one of them looked at the other. Veronica crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the window at the glittering Vegas skyline, while Troy played with the end of his shoe lace.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Troy finally spoke. "If you want me to go, I'll go. But for the record, I'd really like to stay."

Veronica didn't respond. Now that her racing heart had resumed its normal rhythm and her breathing had calmed, she couldn't help wondering if she'd overreacted. Troy seemed genuinely contrite; his eyes on her were anxious, as he waited for her verdict.

"Hey," he continued. "I won't even sit next to you, if you want." Troy pointed across the room. "You can put me in the naughty chair over in the corner."

His lips curved up in a hopeful smile and Veronica couldn't help smiling in return.

"I really am sorry," he told her. "I've wanted to kiss you for a long time."

"It's okay," Veronica finally replied, shaking it off. "But I think we should get to know each other a little better, before we rush into anything." She glanced at her watch; it was after midnight. "And honestly? I think I need to call it a night and get some sleep."

Troy couldn't quite manage to hide his disappointment, but he stood up right away. He grabbed his button-down shirt off the arm of the couch, pulling it on over his t-shirt. As he buttoned it he glanced at Veronica, unsure where he stood with her. She was proving to be a far greater challenge than he'd anticipated.

"What time do you usually wake up?" he questioned.

"Um, around nine or so."

"Can I bring you a cup of coffee, in the morning?" he asked.

"Yeah, okay," Veronica agreed. "Unless you're using coffee as a euphemism for sex."

When he realized she was joking, Troy let out a relieved laugh. "No," he assured her. "Just coffee, I promise."

Resigned to an evening of chastity, he decided he wouldn't even attempt a kiss. He gave her a small wave instead. "Good night," he said. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night," she replied formally.

As soon as Troy left the suite, Veronica let out a long sigh and walked into her bedroom. She got changed into her pajamas quickly and turned off the light, intent on putting an end to what had turned out to be a very long day.

Yet sleep remained elusive for a long time, as she considered the vast chasm between fantasy and reality. And when Veronica finally drifted off she slept fitfully, dreaming of skyscrapers and limousines.

**xxXxx**

Troy's parents had not been poor; they'd been respectable, working middle-class people. They'd raised their only child in a neatly kept two-bedroom house, with a back yard large enough to run a lawn mower across approximately eight times. He'd been happy enough with his lot in life, until he was nine years old. That was when he'd visited the Echolls' mansion for the very first time.

He'd never realized how vastly different Logan's life was from his own. Logan had simply been another friend; a good friend. He was the kid who ran around studio lots with him; sneaking onto empty sets and pretending they were cowboys, or fending off alien attacks. When the day was done, Troy had always assumed that Logan went back to a house very similar to his own.

But the moment he'd arrived at the massive Echolls' estate, protected by a wrought iron gate and security guards, Troy had realized how very wrong he'd been.

He could still recall that bastion of luxury with perfect recall. The sound of water, cascading down the stone waterfall into the pool; the smell of leather and popcorn in the home theatre; the bright and shiny arcade games emanating cheerful tunes.

That was the first day Troy had gotten a taste of true wealth. That was the day he'd decided that _he_ needed to be wealthy, too. And that was the day that he'd vowed to do whatever he had to, to make that happen.

Troy considered this, as he spread butter across his roll. The roll was still warm from the oven, and the butter melted instantly. Troy smiled. These were the little indulgences that he appreciated so very much. Other people didn't even notice. But he did. He _always_ did.

He took a large bite of his roll, closing his eyes to fully savor the experience. The room service was an unwitting gift from Dick, as was the massage he'd booked for later that day. Once Veronica had confirmed that Dick was completely unconcerned about the cost of their stay, Troy had decided to spare no expense on his personal needs.

Troy finished off the roll and reached for a piece of bacon, glancing at the empty expanse of bed next to him. It was a shame he hadn't been able to share this experience with Veronica; yet she'd made it clear that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

He'd considered searching for other company, when he'd left her room last night. But it was too risky. Not with Veronica and her sisters, just a few doors down.

_No, I have to play the good guy_, he reminded himself. _The respectable one. At least for the next two days._

He reached for his phone, going immediately to the _Celebrity Hotspot_ website. He'd been keeping a very close eye on Duncan and Meg's story, as well as the recent rumors about Logan Echolls. Information had been his bread and butter for years, and he made it a priority to gather as much of it as he could. It had saved his ass on more than one occasion.

The headline of the day's gossip was just one word: _Ruined!_ Beneath the word was a picture of Meg Manning. Troy put down his bacon, no longer interested in food. He read the article quickly, and then read it again.

"Financially _ruined_?" he said aloud. "They can't be."

He tossed his phone onto the mattress beside him, set the breakfast tray back down onto the cart, and stood up. It was a gossip site; it could all be untrue, or at the very least a gross exaggeration. _But can I afford to risk that?_ he wondered. _It could take months to sway Veronica to my side. And if she's broke, it'll all be for nothing…_

_Well, not _nothing, he corrected himself. He still wanted her, quite badly. Just that tiny taste, last night, had been delicious. _And then there's the added bonus of taking something that Logan wants._

Troy walked to the window, eyes on the dancing fountains. _I'll give her up, if I need to_, he decided. _But there's no reason to burn any bridges yet. Even if she's not rich, she has rich friends. And it's not like it's any great sacrifice, spending time with her._

_Yes. I'll stay on her good side; let her think I'm backing off to respect her wishes. And in the meantime, I'll keep my eyes open for other opportunities._

**xxXxx**

Troy kept his promise, delivering coffee to Veronica's room just after nine o'clock. She was surprised to see him, after the awkwardness of the previous night, but graciously invited him inside.

They sat perpendicular to one another in the living room, Veronica seated on the end of the couch and Troy on the oversized chair.

"So last night was pretty crazy, huh?" he asked, breaking the ice.

"Uh, yeah," Veronica agreed. "That's the last time I'm mixing champagne and whiskey in one night."

"Definitely a bad idea," Troy agreed with a laugh. There was a brief pause while they both sipped their coffee, and then he spoke again. "I'm sorry I acted like an ass last night. I was really drunk. I just wanted to make sure… are we cool?"

Veronica nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said. "We're cool. Things were just moving a little faster than I was prepared for." She set her coffee cup down. "And, um, I think we maybe need to take it easy."

She'd been thinking all morning, and she'd realized why everything had felt so wrong, last night. _It's because I don't love him. _Veronica had tried this once before, with Casey, and it hadn't worked then either. She didn't want a relationship that was purely physical- not again. She wanted more. She wanted to _feel_ something.

Troy cleared his throat. "Yeah," he said. "It, uh, probably doesn't make sense for us to get together right now anyway, huh? I mean, with me only here for another couple of months and all."

"Right," Veronica agreed, relieved that Troy was correctly interpreting her intent.

He looked at her for half a moment. "But I really do like you, Veronica. And I'd be so bummed if we couldn't stay friends. Seriously, we're talking anti-depressants, therapy, the works. They may even have to commit me."

Veronica laughed easily. "Of course we'll stay friends," she assured him.

"Good. Because you're like the most chill girl I've ever met, for real." Troy smiled at her and stood up, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. "And for the record, you're crazy hot."

"Well I'm pleased that I meet your friendship requirements," she joked.

Troy grinned and stood up straight. "I'll catch you around later, right?"

"Definitely," she promised. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Any time."

He left the suite, and Veronica stared at the closed door. _Well. _That_ was easy. Why couldn't things have gone this smoothly with Dick, last night?_

**xxXxx **

Logan scrolled through picture after picture, considering each one carefully before moving on to the next. He was supposed to give final approval on the filming location for an important scene in the movie, but he was struggling to form a mental image of each spot.

He needed to _see_ it. To get a three hundred and sixty degree view, to smell it, to know exactly how it would come across on screen. _This would be so much easier if I just went to Neptune in person_, he acknowledged. _But that's not happening._

Logan picked up his phone. "Yeah, Cassidy, these photos aren't working for me. Tell Richie or Indira to take video, okay?"

As he spoke, Heather walked into his office. She was the only one who didn't wait to get announced or even bother knocking. His secretary had nearly had a heart attack the first time she'd breezed past her.

Heather walked directly over to his desk, pulling at his arm until his chair rolled slightly to the left. "Shake a leg, big brother, it's burger time," she ordered.

Logan gripped his desk to stop from rolling any further, while attempting to give her an annoyed glare. He covered up the receiver with his free hand. "I need five minutes," he whispered, gesturing for her to wait outside.

Heather didn't leave. She parked herself on his couch, crossed her arms over her chest and began to tap her foot impatiently.

"No, don't even bother with the first location," he spoke into the phone. "That one isn't going to work. Have them shoot…" Logan paused, scrolling rapidly through the photos on his computer. "Two, four and five," he decided. "And tell them to get it done today. Thanks."

Logan hung up and faced his sister. "Why are you still here?"

"Because I know how long your five minutes can take. What was that call all about?"

"A couple of issues with production in Neptune," he replied with a shrug.

"So why don't you go out there and deal with them yourself?"

Logan gave her a withering look. "You know why."

Heather rolled her eyes. "I still don't understand what the big deal is. So someone took a picture of you kissing Veronica. So what? No one even knows it was her."

"I told you," he reminded her patiently. "We weren't kissing."

"_Sure_ you weren't." Heather sighed dramatically. "C'mon, don't you _miss_ her?"

"We're not talking about this again," Logan stated. "I'm staying in New York and that's all there is to it."

"Fine. But I'm not letting you sit in this stuffy office and be a big brooding brooder all day," she informed him. "It's summertime. _And_ it's the weekend."

"Yes, well some of us don't have the luxury of lazing around all day," he joked, as he responded to an email. "That fancy private school of yours isn't cheap, you know. So if you want to stay there, I've got to get some work done."

Heather's face grew somber, despite his teasing tone. "And… what if I don't?"

As her words sunk in, Logan stopped typing mid-sentence and looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she began, with more confidence. "What if I want to go to Claremont with you next year, instead?"

Logan leaned back in his seat, regarding her carefully. "_Do_ you?"

Heather nodded. "Yeah."

Logan scratched at the stubble on his cheek, surprised to discover that he'd forgotten to shave. "You're only there because you wanted to get out of the city," he reminded her gently. "And because I thought that was probably a good idea, after… what happened."

"I know. And I needed to get away from all of this for a little while," she said honestly. "But I'm ready to come back now. I feel… okay again. Like myself. I even talked to Dr. Sue about it, and she thinks it's a good idea." Heather frowned, eyeing him anxiously. "But what do _you_ think?"

Logan stood up, walked around his desk and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I think that you should do whatever makes you happy," he told her, laying his arm across her shoulders. "And if that means I get to see you every day again? Even better."

Heather grinned, pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank you. Okay, go finish whatever you're doing," she ordered, standing up. "But if you're not out of the office in ten minutes, I'm gonna play Justin Bieber at top volume, right outside your door."

Logan pretended to shudder. "Well in that case, I'll be right out."

Heather left the office and Logan walked back to his desk. He finished responding to his email quickly and clicked on the next one. Stacy Wells had sent him a friend request on Facebook. _She was a sweet girl. I wish I could have liked her_.

Logan had just turned off his computer when his phone buzzed. He glanced down at the screen.

_Just checked into the Surrey. Meet me at 8. Don't forget. _

_Get us a private room, _he replied.

The response came instantly._ Done._

_Good, _he returned._ See you soon._

**xxXxx **

Veronica didn't feel much like being around a large group of people, that afternoon, especially if they were all going to be congregated in Dick's suite. She knew she couldn't avoid Dick forever, but she wasn't ready to face him just yet.

She tried to get in touch with Mac, to see if her cousin wanted to have lunch. But Mac had texted her back that she was busy, and she'd explain later. Veronica ordered room service and ate a late lunch by herself, reminded strongly of her time on the yacht. She was feeling a bit lonely, and she missed Meg a lot.

After Veronica finished lunch, she tried calling Meg. There was no answer. Trying not to worry, she lazed around in bed and watched a movie. When the movie was over Veronica decided to send Dick a text message. She wanted to see what his state of mind was. She had just started to compose the message when there was a knock at her door.

She opened the door to find Mac. "_There_ you are," she greeted her with a smile. "What on earth have you been up to?"

Mac gave a nervous little laugh, following Veronica into the living room. "Um, well, that's what I came to talk to you about." She stared at Veronica, chewing at her lower lip. "I honestly can't think of any good way to say this, so…" She stuck out her left hand, readying herself for the explosion.

"What?" Veronica asked confusedly, taking a sip of water. "You got your nails done?" And then she saw the ring, and she nearly choked on her water. "_Is that a wedding band_?"

"Yes," Mac confirmed.

"This is a joke, though, right?"

"Nope. Not a joke."

"But what- when… Who the hell did you get married to?" she demanded.

"Dick," Mac replied, in a very small voice.

Veronica burst out laughing. "Very funny," she said. "Seriously, who?"

"_Dick_," Mac repeated more firmly. "Seriously."

Veronica stopped laughing. "But… that's impossible. Last night, he asked me-"

"-to marry him," Mac finished. "I know. He told me."

The solemn look on her cousin's face finally convinced her that this wasn't all some elaborate prank, and Veronica sunk down onto the chair. Mac took a seat on the couch, remaining silent while she waited for Veronica to process everything.

"So you were drunk, right?" Veronica asked. "And this was all part of some crazy, like, high stakes scavenger hunt? Or a _really_ intense game of truth or dare?"

Mac frowned. "We were a little bit drunk," she confirmed. "But-"

"Then you can get it dissolved, no problem," Veronica replied, sighing with relief. "It's okay." She smiled reassuringly at Mac. "Hey, everyone makes mistakes. No one even has to _know_ about it."

"It wasn't a _mistake_," Mac stated forcefully, growing frustrated by Veronica's reaction. "Just because he's not good enough for _you_ doesn't mean he's not good enough for anyone."

Veronica stared at her, stunned. "Mac, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

The lines on Mac's forehead cleared, and she sat forward slightly. "It's okay. Look, I know this is all coming as a surprise. It was a surprise to us too. Everything happened really fast."

"I never even knew you had feelings for him," Veronica said softly.

"I didn't," Mac clarified. "Not really. But after he left your room last night, we ran into each other. And we talked, like all night. And then…" She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders.

Mac desperately wanted Veronica to understand, but she was finding it very hard to explain. She tried again. "I guess I finally realized that underneath all of the tasteless jokes and, you know, the general idiocy, he's… a decent guy. I mean, he's not perfect but neither am I. He's got a great career ahead of him. And I know he won't let my family end up on the street."

"I know he's got his good qualities," Veronica acknowledged. "But Mac…"

"Will you please quit looking at me like that?" Mac requested.

"Like what?"

"Like I just got a lobotomy or something," she replied. "I'm fully aware of my actions, here. And whatever you may think? I'm actually _really_ good with all of this."

"Okay." Veronica sat back in her chair, trying to keep her expression neutral.

"I asked Dick if I could be the one to tell you," Mac said, looking down at the plush blue and white carpeting. "Because I thought I could make you understand." She glanced up at Veronica. "But is it possible that you can just be happy for me, _without_ understanding? Maybe even congratulate me?"

"I'm sorry." Veronica stood up and walked over to her cousin, bending down to give her a hug. "Congratulations," she mumbled into her shoulder. "If you're happy, I'm happy."

But it was a lie. While she forced a smile and promised to join Mac and the others for dinner, inside she was screaming.

As soon as she left, Veronica began the process of trying to understand what Mac had done. _How could she marry Dick? I can't think of two people less suited for one another than they are. And she's usually so level-headed. Doesn't she know that this is going to fail, miserably? They're only eighteen years old!_

Disgusted, Veronica tossed her water bottle onto the couch and strode over to the window. _She knows that he has feelings for me; that he has for years. And that he asked me to marry him just last night! Is this a rebound? A way to get back at me, for rejecting him? I don't want her to get hurt…_

She shook her head, walking back towards the living room. _This is insane. Is there something in the water, here? Because everyone has gone completely crazy. Dick's never even had a serious girlfriend before, and now he has a wife? And it's _Mac_?_

Veronica stopped walking, placing her hands on her hips and staring sightlessly at a painting on the wall. There wasn't anything she could do. No matter how much she didn't agree with this, it had already happened. _I'll try and talk to Mac again later, _she decided._ Or maybe even to Dick. Try to talk some sense into them._

Resigned to the situation, there was only one thing left to do. She walked into her bedroom to get ready for dinner.

**xxXxx**

Before she'd even fully recovered from the news, Veronica found herself sitting on a couch in Dick's suite surrounded by their entire group, listening to the story of Dick and Mac's nuptials.

"So I'm like dude, you wrote down the wrong name," Dick was saying. "I'm here to marry _Mac_, not Cindy."

Everyone laughed.

"Right, like my parents _totally_ named me Mac Mackenzie," she spoke up, looking at Dick affectionately.

"What?" he asked. "It's catchy."

More laughter. Veronica looked around in amazement. They were all acting like this was the most normal thing in the world. _No, it's not the water_, she decided. _I'm in the Twilight Zone._

She glanced over at Troy, dying to talk about all of this with him. But his attention was diverted towards Carrie, who was sitting to his right. Veronica leaned forward slightly, so she could see Carrie's face. She was smiling widely; absolutely enjoying the newfound attention.

Veronica felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, and pulled it out. It was Meg. Hurrying away from the rest of the crowd, she stepped into Dick's spare bedroom and closed the door.

"Hey," she greeted her sister. She couldn't wait to tell her everything that had happened, and there was a _lot_ to discuss. But her sister's welfare was more important. "How are you?" she asked quickly. "How's New York?"

"Kind of hot," Meg replied. "But it's fine."

It had only taken that one sentence for Veronica to know something was wrong. "Did you run into anyone we know?" she guessed.

"Well, no. Not exactly," Meg replied slowly. "But something sort of weird happened earlier."

"What?"

"Well, Alicia and I went uptown to do a little shopping this morning. We were just coming out of Barneys when I could have _sworn_ I saw Madison and Trina across the street. I called to them, but…" Meg's voice grew doubtful. "It was pretty loud, with all of the cars going by and stuff. I guess they didn't hear me. Or maybe it wasn't even them."

"Was anyone else with them?"

"No, it was just them. If it even _was_ them." Meg paused. "I honestly couldn't say for sure. I tried calling each of them but both of the calls went to voice mail. So I left Madison a message, finally, to tell her that I'm in town. But I haven't heard back yet."

_Of course you haven't,_ she wanted to say. _Because they were never your friends, and you're the _last_ person they want to see._

But she managed to keep her voice calm, attempting to placate her and suggesting that maybe it wasn't really them after all. She eventually changed the subject to Dick, telling Meg all about his unexpected proposal to herself and subsequent marriage to Mac.

That surprising news was enough to take Meg's mind off of the Kane's, at least temporarily. By the time they hung up the phone, her sister seemed a little bit more cheerful. But Veronica remained uneasy. She didn't trust those girls; she knew what they were capable of. And she was more certain than ever that she should have gone to New York with Meg.

**xxXxx **

Logan sat at the end of the table, picking at his beef tartare disinterestedly. It wasn't what he would have chosen. He'd been late to dinner, and Kendall had ordered for him. He hated when she did that.

They were in the private dining room at _Café Boulud_; a room normally reserved for much larger parties. But the restaurant had been more than happy to accommodate the request, when they'd learned that it was for Logan Echolls and the Kane family. They'd rearranged the seating specifically for their party of eight.

Logan was relieved. He was tired of people staring at him. And even restaurants of this caliber weren't immune to curious onlookers. Of course, there was nothing he could do about Madison. Every time he glanced up, she was looking speculatively at him and Hannah; trying to figure out if there was anything going on with them.

He was seated between Hannah and Kendall. He wished he was next to Heather; she was a much livelier dinner companion. But she was all the way at the other end of the table, trying to cheer up Duncan- who looked as though he were at a funeral feast.

_Did he even shower today?_ Logan wondered. _He looks like shit._

"So I, um, hear we're a couple," Hannah spoke up, face flushed pink to match her dress.

"Uh, yeah," he replied, turning to face her. "I'm really sorry you got dragged into that. I think someone is messing with me."

"That's okay," she replied. Her wide blue eyes met his, beneath black lashes, and she smiled shyly. "It doesn't bother me."

Logan looked at her, surprised. Hannah had never shown any particular interest in him before. But before he could reply, Kendall placed her hand on his arm to get his attention.

"We're going back to L.A. tomorrow," she informed him, taking a sip of her wine. "Why don't you come with us?"

"I can't leave New York right now," Logan told her. "I've got too much going on."

"Well, it's an open invitation." Her knee touched his thigh, beneath the table. "Any time you want." Her eyes glittered mischievously. "And people will be _expecting_ you to visit, now that you're dating my little sister. According to several reputable magazines, anyway."

She grinned at him, her nose crinkling, and Logan rolled his eyes. "Why do you read that crap?" he asked, spearing an asparagus with his fork.

"Occupational hazard," she explained. "Ninety percent of my clients are featured weekly. I've got to know what the little birdies are tweeting about."

Logan didn't smile, and Kendall put her wine glass down. "What is _up_ with you tonight?" she asked. She lowered her voice, eyes narrowing. "I'm starting to think there really _is_ a new woman in your life. Want to tell Auntie Kendall all about her?"

He raised an eyebrow. "_Auntie_ Kendall?" he repeated, taking a bite of the asparagus. "That's a disturbing thought."

Kendall waved a dismissive hand, crimson nails reflecting the light of the chandelier above them. "It's a figure of speech. I'm just trying to say…" She placed her hand on his. "You can still talk to me, Logan. About anything."

He slid his hand out of her grasp and picked up his whiskey, unsticking the ice from the side of the glass before taking a long sip. "There is no girl," he said shortly, setting the glass down with a thunk. "It's all bullshit."

"Good to know," Kendall smiled. "But I can tell there's _something_ bothering you. Why don't we talk, after dinner? Maybe I can find a way to cheer you up."

She caught the waiter's eye, waving him over. Logan pulled his wallet from his pants pocket and reached inside for his Amex, but Kendall shook her head. "I'll expense it," she told him.

"Yes, Ms. O'Dell?" the waiter asked eagerly.

"When we're finished eating, I'd like you to go ahead and charge this meal to my room." She gave Logan a significant look. "It's 1606," she said distinctly.

"Of course, Ms. O'Dell. May I get you another glass of Cabernet?"

"Please," she replied loftily. When the waiter left, she glanced at Logan. "Did I mention my sister and I got separate rooms?"

"The rooms here are bigger than most apartments," he replied dryly. "That seems frivolous."

"It's all on the company's dime," she shrugged. Her eyes remained focused on Logan, although his were moving idly about the room. He was being far less perceptive than normal, tonight. _Or maybe he's just pretending to be._

So that there wasn't any confusion, she dropped her hand beneath the table, letting it graze against his thigh. "And I thought I may need some privacy," she added.

Logan didn't even blink; he merely took another sip of his whiskey. "Not tonight," he declined, his eyes on his plate.

Kendall sighed and removed her hand. "You used to be fun."

Logan finally looked at her. "You _used_ to be single," he returned pointedly. "I shouldn't have to keep reminding you that you're married now."

"Oh, whatever," she retorted. "Like you're such a boy scout."

He smirked, and she rolled her eyes. "But you _do_ need a woman in your life," she advised. Kendall raised her chin in her sister's direction. "What do you think?"

"_Hannah_?" Logan muttered darkly.

Kendall shrugged. "Why not?" she asked innocently. "You guys have always gotten along. And she's only a year younger than you. Look at how pretty she is, now that those hideous braces are gone?"

Logan didn't even glance at Hannah, instead shooting a disgusted look at Kendall. "You don't find it the slightest bit wrong, pawning your little sister off on me?" he demanded. "Given our history?"

"I'd rather see you with _her_ than with whatever trashy little beach bum hoes you were screwing back in Nowheresville, California. You deserve the _best_, Logan. And if it can't be me…"

Kendall let the sentence hang in the air, still hoping to sway him back towards her. Logan used to confide in her; he used to listen to her advice. She didn't like the idea of another woman usurping her place in his life. But if it had to happen, she wanted to have a hand in deciding who that woman would be.

She watched Logan drink his whiskey, his actions always so measured and contained when he was in public. He had a confidence that far surpassed his age; his demeanor unconsciously elegant in suit and tie. But there was another side to Logan that was far less refined. A depth of passion she'd only ever glimpsed the edges of. And tonight, there was an angry glint in his eyes that fascinated her.

Kendall had never thought that her marriage to Cyrus would have led to the end of their affair. She'd had no idea that Logan's moral compass would maintain true north, when it came to marital fidelity. Despite gaining access to her husband's millions, she sometimes wondered if losing Logan had been worth the price.

Men had accused her of using sex as a weapon, before, but she didn't agree with that assessment. She thought of it less as a weapon, and more as a tool. It was a tool that she'd learned how to use with great efficiency and precision, through the years, and it had served her well.

Rarely did her sexual entanglements elevate themselves beyond the mild satisfaction of a successful business transaction. Her liaisons with Logan were one of the unexpected exceptions to that rule. She hadn't loved him, no. But she'd felt an affection for him bordering on possessiveness, at one point, and that had never truly gone away.

Kendall was very conscious of the value of maintaining her connection with him, even now that their relationship was no longer physical. Yet her feelings for him would never be fully platonic. Perhaps it stemmed from having been the first woman in his bed.

Logan finished his drink in one gulp, placing it on the table with an air of finality. "You really need to get out of L.A.," he told Kendall dryly. "That place is messing with your head."

He stood up. He could feel Kendall watching him, but his focus was on Heather. He walked to the end of the table and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I've got to get some work done," he told her. "Come find me when you get home; we'll go get Carvel."

Logan said a general goodbye to the table and left the room, barely acknowledging Kendall. She'd crossed a line, tonight, trying to pawn him off on Hannah like it was no big deal. _She needs to learn that not everyone is her little puppet. Certainly not me._

A paparazzo snapped several photos of him as he was leaving the restaurant, and he was glad that he was leaving alone. _The last thing I need is for _another_ rumor to get started. Especially about me and Kendall._ The gossip about them had persisted for years, and not all of it was wrong. _And if any of that history comes out, my name will be front and center in the tabloids for months. _

As Clarence waved him into the limousine, Logan's eyes strayed to the lone paparazzo, still snapping photos even as he was being escorted away by hotel security. It was strange that it was just one guy; he wondered who had tipped him off. _He'll get a pretty penny for that picture, with no other competition here._

Logan rested the back of his head against the leather seat and closed his eyes, a mild headache forming at the base of his skull. _And I'm sure I'll see the photo online by tomorrow morning._

**xxXxx **

The next day, Veronica and Mac were treading water in the deep end of the spa pool, where they had a little bit of privacy from the rest of the group.

"But what about school?" Veronica asked.

"I'm taking a year off," Mac informed her. "To go on tour with Dick next month. You know I've always wanted to travel." She swam to the side of the pool, grabbing onto the edge for a rest. "But before that, we're moving to L.A."

"L.A.?" Veronica repeated. "Why?"

"Well, Kendall thinks Dick will get more acting opportunities up there," she replied. "And she's probably right. I'm going to talk to my dad, see if they can re-work Dick's schedule so he can film the rest of his scenes now. And then we're leaving."

Veronica was surprised they had an actual plan in place, given the impetuous nature of their romance so far. _But Mac is practical_, she acknowledged. _Maybe she'll even be good for Dick. Keep him grounded._ She glanced over at the man in question. He was dunking Gia beneath the surface of the pool, while he laughed gleefully.

"We'll be going up there in a few weeks, to look for a place," Mac continued. "And, um, I wanted to ask you… Do you think you could maybe come with us? I could really use your opinion."

"Oh," Veronica said. "Um, I don't know…"

Mac nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. "Think about it, okay?" she requested.

"I will," Veronica promised. She wasn't sure she could handle being the third wheel to the newlyweds, especially when she was still struggling to come to terms with their union. But she wanted to be supportive of her cousin. _Even though I still don't understand any of this._

"Hey, Veronica!" Lilly called.

"What's up?" she asked, swimming closer to her sister.

"Does this mean Dick is our cousin, now?"

"Uh, yeah," she said slowly. "By marriage, I guess he is."

"Good thing we never hooked up, then, huh?" Dick grinned, splashing Veronica playfully. "That would have been all illegal and shit."

Veronica smiled. Dick's attitude had surprised her. He'd shown absolutely no residual anger towards her, over the last twenty-four hours. In fact, he was acting as friendly towards her as ever. _Nothing like getting married to take the sting out of rejection, I guess._

"_There's_ the little pansies," Dick announced, spotting Troy and Casey at the entrance to the pool. "How were your _woman_icures?"

"Fabulous," Casey called, displaying his nails proudly. "The manicurist gave me her number." He ran to the pool's edge and jumped in right next to Dick, displacing a large quantity of water in his vicinity. Dick tackled Casey as soon as he emerged, both disappearing underwater.

Lilly, meanwhile, had climbed out of the pool upon seeing Troy. "I need an unbiased opinion," she told him, twirling slowly in her new white bikini. "What do you think?"

"Gorgeous, as always," he said with a smile.

"I don't want to be gorgeous," she pouted. "I want to be _hot_."

"No worries on that score," Troy reassured her.

Lilly grinned, walking down the steps into the pool. "Thanks, Carrie," she said, as they passed one another on the stairs. "You were right."

"Aren't I always?" Carrie joked, slapping Lilly's palm as she walked by. She headed towards the showers, and Troy watched her go curiously.

He followed Lilly into the pool. "Carrie helped you pick that out?" he asked. "She has excellent taste."

"Well yeah, but it's kind of her job," Lilly pointed out.

"Huh?" he asked.

"She works at the surf shop," Gia explained. "Poor thing."

"Why?" Troy questioned, growing rather concerned. "What, uh, happened to her?"

"Her dad lost everything in some kind of pyramid scheme," Mandy told him.

"Yeah, she had to move into an apartment and get a job and _everything_," Gia added.

"But it was really nice of Dick to invite her along," Lilly said magnanimously. "She doesn't get to do stuff like this too much anymore."

Troy glanced in the direction Carrie had just disappeared, resigning himself to another loss. _Zero for two, _he thought._ I really need to step up my game._

He glanced over at Veronica. She was watching him with interest, the look in her eyes a bit too perceptive. He gave her a crooked grin. "Race you to the end?" he challenged.

Without waiting for her to agree, he set off swimming. And Veronica was quickly caught up in the competition, splashing her way towards the edge of the pool and momentarily forgetting all about Troy's intentions towards Carrie Bishop.

**xxXxx**

Jake and Celeste Kane were adamant about maintaining certain traditions with their family, despite their hectic schedules. One of those traditions was getting together for a Sunday afternoon movie. The decision on which movie to watch was on a rotating roster, and tonight's choice had been Duncan's.

"_The Godfather_?" Trina groaned. "_Again_?"

"Says the girl who forced us to watch _The Devil Wears Prada_ for the fourth time, last week," Logan remarked, passing the bowl of popcorn to Heather.

"It's Duncan's call, Trina," Jake said calmly. "You kids know the rules."

Trina rolled her eyes but fell silent, and Celeste pressed play on the remote. Logan settled in to watch the movie. He, for one, was happy with Duncan's choice. It was one of his favorite movies. He watched Kay and Michael onscreen, quickly becoming absorbed in the film.

"_If he's your brother, why does he have a different name?" _

"_Oh, that. When my brother Sonny was a kid, he found Tom Hagen in the street. And he had no home. So my father took him in, and he's been with us ever since. He's a good lawyer. Not a Sicilian, but I think he's gonna be consiglieri." _

"_What's that?" _

"_That's like a counselor; an advisor. Very important to the family." _

Logan felt his phone buzz in his lap. He looked down to see a text from Madison. It read "_911_". Slightly annoyed, he glanced over at her with both eyebrows raised. But her eyes were wide, and she was gesturing urgently towards the hallway.

He stood up with a sigh, following her out of the room. Things had been a little chilly between them since the night of the party, largely by Logan's choice. He'd wanted to make it crystal clear that he had no interest in her.

"What?" he asked, as soon as they were out of hearing distance.

"Meg's in town," she informed him.

"_What_?" he repeated, in a very different tone.

"It's true," she confirmed. "Trina and I saw her yesterday. We had to duck into Saks so she wouldn't see us."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me about this yesterday?" he demanded.

"Because I…" Madison thought quickly. She hadn't told him because she hadn't been sure if Veronica was in New York, too. If she was, Madison certainly hadn't wanted _Logan_ to know about it. "I didn't think it was a big deal," she said with a shrug. "I didn't answer when she called; I thought she'd just let it go."

"But?"

"But she didn't," Madison admitted. "She left me a voice mail yesterday, and I didn't listen to it until just now. She said she was going to be uptown tonight, and that she might come by. What should I do?"

Logan considered this news carefully. _I guess I was right about her the first time_, he decided. _She really is making a play for Duncan. Why else would she be here?_ Something else occurred to him, and he frowned. _And if she's been in New York awhile, maybe she really _is_ the one feeding all of these new stories to the tabloids… _

"Logan?" Madison prompted, growing impatient.

"Well the main thing is, we've got to keep her the hell away from Duncan," Logan began, plan forming in his mind. "Okay, listen. I'll get Duncan out of the house for a bit, as soon as the movie's over. Then you call her; tell her to stop by the house. But keep it _short_."

"Okay," Madison agreed, nodding slowly. "But what if she tries to hang around? How do I get rid of her?"

"Have someone call you, like fifteen minutes after she gets here. Say it's an emergency." Logan ran his hand through his hair, still thinking. "And while she's here," he added, "Let it slip that Duncan is out with another girl. Keep it vague, but make it clear that he's not interested in her anymore. Got it?"

"Yeah," Madison replied. "So… what do we do if Duncan finds out she's in town?"

"He won't," Logan said confidently. "I'll make sure of that. Just don't go making any other plans with her."

"All right," Madison agreed.

Logan scratched absently at his still unshaven jawline, trying not to ask the main question on his mind. _But I have to know._ "Are, uh, any of her sisters with her?" he inquired.

"No," Madison said coldly. "She's alone."

She pushed her way past him, back into the living room. But Logan didn't follow her. Instead, he made his way up to Duncan's room and walked inside. Duncan's phone was on his desk, plugged into its charger. Feeling like the worst friend in the world, he picked up the phone to do what he'd assured Jake he'd already done. He needed to see if Duncan was still in contact with Meg.

Logan spent a moment going through his incoming and outgoing calls, but there was nothing except the two calls from Meg, from a couple of weeks ago. _And I already knew about those._ He checked Duncan's text messages. _Nothing. Maybe he wasn't that into her after all._

He was about to put the phone down when he had a thought. He opened up Duncan's internet browser to check his history, and his stomach dropped. _A Google search for Megan Mars and Duncan Kane… Celebrity Hotspot's website… The National Instigator's website… Meg's Facebook page…_

Logan set the phone down. _So much for keeping all of the gossip from him. And so much for him not being that into her._

He was walking back towards the living room when his phone rang. It was Cassidy. His assistant knew better than to call on a Sunday afternoon, unless it was an emergency. Logan answered the call quickly. "What happened?"

"Well, we're going to have to fire Liam," Cassidy announced.

"What did he do now?" Logan demanded.

"Uh, long story short? We can't shoot at that club in Neptune, anymore."

"You've got to be kidding me," Logan replied. "It's the _only_ club in Neptune. Right?"

"Right."

"Perfect. Well whatever Liam did, I've got to fix it."

"There's no fixing this," Cassidy told him. "Trust me."

"Why? What the hell did he do, screw the owner's daughter or something?"

"Actually… yeah," Cassidy confirmed. He paused. "But, uh, Kendall thinks she may have a solution."

"Kendall? How is she even _involved_ in this?"

"Liam is her cousin."

"Of course he is." Logan sighed. "Fine. What does she want to do?"

"She knows a guy who's opening up a club in L.A.," Cassidy explained. "He's set to open up in about a month; but there'll be a small window where we could get in there and shoot what we need."

Logan shook his head. "No," he said. "There's no way we can make that happen in a couple of weeks. It'll completely mess up the schedule. And I don't even want to _talk_ about the budget. We'd have to get permits, we'd have to-"

"I'll take care of all of that," Cassidy assured him. "It's not as bad as it sounds. There are only two principal actors in that scene, and we can use a small crew. I can have everything ready to go in three weeks." His voice was eager when he continued. "I can _do_ this, Logan. Let me try."

This was far more responsibility than he'd ever given Cassidy before. _But he hasn't let me down yet. _ "All right," he agreed. "See what you can do." Succumbing to necessity, Logan exhaled silently. "And when everything's all set to shoot, schedule my flight to L.A."

**xxXxx **

After an amazing dinner at _Picasso_ and an entertaining few hours spent gambling, Veronica and her friends ended their last evening in Las Vegas in Dick's suite. There was one new addition to their party, however. A very pretty girl, about their age, who was currently deep in conversation with Troy.

"Hey Troy," Sean spoke up, eyeing the new girl curiously. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Jackie," Troy introduced her. "We met at the pool, after you guys left. And I was lucky enough to run into her again on the casino floor."

Jackie waved once, smiling self-consciously at the room. "Hello everyone."

Veronica's eyes shifted from Troy to Jackie, taking in their close proximity to each other on the couch, and the way Troy kept touching her arm. Veronica glanced at Carrie curiously; she didn't look pleased.

"Where are you from, Jackie?" Carrie inquired.

"New York," she replied. "I'm just out here visiting my dad."

Troy nudged her in the side playfully. "Go on, tell them who he is," he encouraged her. He glanced up at Dick. "Dude, you're going to lose it when you hear."

It took a little persuading, but Jackie finally caved. "He's Terrence Cook," she revealed.

"Are you kidding me?" Dick asked. "Oh man. He's like the best pitcher _ever_."

Lilly turned to Veronica. "Dad's gonna totally freak out when he hears this," she said. She turned back to Jackie. "Our dad is like the biggest baseball geek known to man."

While the rest of them continued talking to Jackie, Veronica caught Troy's eye. Seeing the expression on her face, he came over to sit down next to her. "Terrence _Cook_," he said enthusiastically. "Can you believe that? A living legend. Man, I wish I had a rookie card for him to sign. You know how much those go for?"

"Is that with this is about?" she asked, nodding towards Jackie. "Money?"

Troy was taken aback by her candor; Veronica could tell. But he played it off well, giving her a roguish smile and a shrug. "Hey, you know my situation," he reminded her. "I've got expensive tastes, and no one to pay for them."

"So you're saying that it's just as easy to fall in love with a rich girl?" she pressed.

"And more practical," he added with a wink.

Veronica frowned, not as charmed by his honesty as he'd bargained for. "Aw, come on," Troy appealed. "I'm not trying to con her out of millions or anything. I'm just being friendly."

"Yes," she noted dryly. "_Very_ friendly."

"Hey, you're one to talk," he teased. "Rumor has it you used to date Casey Gant, heir to a small fortune. And before his, um, unexpected marriage to Mac, I believe Dick had a little thing for you as well?"

"What's your point?"

"That you don't seem opposed to spending your time with wealthy men," he said frankly. "Even the great Logan Echolls himself, on occasion." He gave her a searching look, hoping she'd elaborate.

"I've known Casey and Dick since we were kids," Veronica stated. "And anyone could tell you that _I_ wasn't the one doing the chasing, in either of those cases." She paused. "As for Logan... There's something I've been wanting to ask you."

"Uh, sure," Troy replied. "Ask away."

Veronica lowered her voice. "That girl you told me about, last summer. The younger girl that Logan was involved with."

Troy kept his expression blank. "Yeah?"

"How is that you actually _know_ what happened between them?" she questioned.

Troy frowned. "Because I walked in on them," he replied, suddenly subdued.

"You walked in on them having sex?"

"No," he replied, looking down at the ground. "But they were just about to. She was in her bra and underwear, and he was-" He broke off, standing up abruptly. "You know what? I don't really want to talk about it."

Troy quickly excused himself, reclaiming his seat next to Jackie. Veronica's eyes remained on him for several moments, considering. She had more questions than ever about him. After witnessing his affections shift from her to Carrie to Jackie in a matter of days, she wasn't entirely sure she could trust him anymore.

_But just because he's a player doesn't necessarily mean he's a liar, _she reflected._ He was honest enough about his intentions towards Jackie, when I asked him directly. _ And he'd seemed genuinely upset by the topic of the younger girl; his entire demeanor had changed when she'd brought it up. _So what, exactly, did he walk in on?_

Several disturbing possibilities popped into her head. Veronica stood up and walked into the spare bedroom, needing a moment to clear her mind. No sooner had she closed the door than did her phone ring. It was Meg.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked.

"I just saw Madison and Trina," Meg said dejectedly.

"What happened?" Veronica asked worriedly. "What did they do?"

"Well…" Meg hesitated. "To be honest, they just weren't very nice. I'm not even sure why they invited me over. Trina was on her phone the entire time I was there, and Madison looked bored out of her mind. I- I tried to tell myself that something had happened to them. Maybe they'd just gotten some terrible news, or… I don't know, something. But now I think…"

"What?" Veronica prompted.

"I think neither one of them likes me very much, anymore," Meg concluded. "I suppose they believe all of that silly gossip in the tabloids. I really thought they knew me better. I thought we were friends."

"Oh, Meg," Veronica replied. "I'm so sorry."

"You did try to warn me, about them," Meg admitted. "But I was so sure you were wrong."

"Listen, don't worry about them okay? They're just a pair of stupid, vapid, entitled-"

"There's more," Meg interrupted her quietly. "Madison told me they're definitely staying in New York for the rest of the summer. And then she mentioned that Duncan wasn't at home because…" Meg swallowed. "Because he was out with another girl."

Veronica sat down on the bed. Madison and Trina revealing themselves as the horrible people they were, she'd seen _that_ coming from a mile away. _But Duncan…_ _He had me fooled. He really did._

She spoke to Meg for a few more minutes, asking her about museum visits and shopping trips, but she knew very well that her attempts to distract her sister were in vain. Meg's last hope that Duncan still returned her affections had just been crushed. It was going to take her some time to recover.

When Veronica hung up with Meg, she didn't rejoin the party right away. Instead she sat on the bed, thinking. Every guy she knew had turned out to be a disappointment, in the end. Veronica was relieved, at least, that she hadn't gone any further with Troy. If she was being honest with herself, she'd never had particularly strong feelings for him to begin with.

_I just liked the attention_, she admitted. _And he was a nice distraction. But that's over, now. So I may as well find something else to occupy my time for the rest of the summer._

Veronica stood up, finally, heading back out into the living room. When she spotted Mac, seated at the bar, she walked directly towards her.

"Hey," she said, taking a seat beside her. "Does your invitation to come to L.A still stand?"

**A/N I think we all know what's coming next… Thank you for reading! Please review :)**


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